Mbappé: 'Rock-bottom' moment was 'good for me'
Kylian Mbappé has admitted he “hit rock bottom” after missing a crucial penalty for Real Madrid earlier this month, saying he “can do a lot more” despite scoring in the club’s 4-2 LaLiga win over Sevilla on Sunday.
Star forward Mbappé opened the scoring against Sevilla at the Bernabéu with his 14th goal of the season in all competitions, and his sixth goal in the last month.
However he’s faced criticism for his all-round performances, including in Madrid’s last defeat, a 2-1 loss at San Mamés on Dec. 4, when Mbappé failed to convert a spot kick at 1-0 down.
“I can do a lot more,” Mbappé told Real Madrid TV. “I know that I have a lot more in my legs. In the last few games I’ve played better. The game in Bilbao was good for me. I hit rock bottom; I missed a penalty. It was the moment to realise that I have to give my all for this shirt and play with more personality.”
Mbappé’s miss against Athletic came a week after he saw another penalty saved, against Liverpool in the Champions League, and days after he turned down the chance to take a spot kick against Getafe.
Mbappé has already won two trophies in a Madrid shirt — lifting the UEFA Super Cup in August, and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup this week, scoring in a 3-0 win over Mexico’s Pachuca in Qatar — and he has been delivering more consistently in the last month.
“I think we’ve gotten to know each other better,” Mbappé said, when asked about his upturn in form. “I came into the team and that changes a lot of things, but now, as [coach Carlo Ancelotti] has said, my adaptation has finished and I feel good. We can see on the pitch that I understand my teammates better, and the whole team is playing better.”
“We’ve gone back to doing things well,” coach Ancelotti said in his post-match news conference. “It’s been demanding for the squad, but little by little, the team — and Mbappé too — have got back to doing things well. We’re excited about 2025.”
“After the defeat against Milan [on Nov. 5] we sorted things out in the dressing room, speaking clearly,” Ancelotti added. “We’ve fixed it… We still have some frailty, without [Dani] Carvajal, without [Eder] Militao, without [David] Alaba, so we’ve tried to strengthen our qualities, in attack.”
Madrid now go into the LaLiga Christmas break just a point behind leaders Atletico, and two points clear of rivals Barcelona.
Their victory over Sevilla came with Mbappé, Federico Valverde, Rodrygo Goes and Brahim Díaz all on the scoresheet, with Vinícius Júnior missing through suspension.
“We’ve improved in recent months,” Mbappé said. “It was a difficult game, we were a bit tired after the trip to Qatar. But we did well, from the start, scoring good goals, playing on the front foot… I think Madrid fans will be happy today.”
