Kylian Mbappé was heavily criticised by Real Madrid fans when, after such a long wait for him to join the club, he didn't perform as high as they were expecting, including missing penalties. Now, the tides have changed, and has become the top scorer of the team, getting close last weekend of his first hat-trick with the club.
In the press conference before tomorrow's Champions League match against RB Salzburg, Mbappé talked about what those "difficult moments" meant for him. "It's more mental, telling myself that now I have to do more. I was fine physically and with the group, but I knew I had to do more. I had to change the situation because I didn't come here to play badly. Now I have to keep it going because playing well for a month is easy and at Real Madrid you always have to play well."
He also denied one reporter's question that he was "shy" at the beginning of the season: "I've never been a shy player, but when you come to a team like Real Madrid, who won everything last season, you have to come with humility", claiming that "I can't come here and demand 'pass me the ball', that's not how football works".
"I hope my best game is tomorrow. I played well against Las Palmas, but I have the feeling that I can do better because I have it in my legs", he said. If Real Madrid wants to secure qualification for the next round of Champions League, they need goals more than ever: they are 20th, only four places above elimination...