Karim Benzema played for Real Madrid for 14 years, he won many major titles at the Bernabeu. The French striker explained why junior Kylian Mbappé is having difficulty at the Spanish Royal Team.
Former Real Madrid captain Karim Benzema has given definition as to why Kylian Mbappe is struggling to make an immediate impact at the Spanish side. According to Benzema, the problem lies in Mbappe’s fighting position and the challenges that coach Carlo Ancelotti may face when choosing his squad.
Mbappe joined Real Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer, joining Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior. Although the French striker arrives after Real Madrid’s successes in La Liga and the Champions League last season, the 2024/25 season is not yet beneficial for MBB or this team.
Benzema left Real Madrid to join Al Ittihad of the Saudi Pro League in 2023, claiming that Mbappé is not a true striker. “The problem for me is that Mbappé is not a striker,” Benzema shared with El Chiringuito TV.
He explained further: “Every time Mbappe played for the French team in the “number 9″ position, he was not excellent, that was not his position. The problem is that on the left wing there is also another player. On the same level as him. You can’t leave Vinicius on the right or in the central striker position, where he makes a difference on the left.”
Benzema also emphasized the huge pressure at Real Madrid: “Mbappe is not ‘number 9’. There is a lot of pressure at Real Madrid, this is not PSG. An advice? He should not give up.”
Benzema continued: “I don’t think Ancelotti will change Vinicius’s playing position. He is the best player in the world currently in that position. Mbappé must remember that he must be “number 9″ and forget about the wing left. He played very well on the left wing and now he has to play well in another position.”
Mbappe has scored 8 goals in 14 appearances for Real Madrid, but is still far from the record of 44 goals in 48 matches for PSG last season. Real Madrid is not playing well in the current season, ranked 2nd on the La Liga rankings and 9 points behind top team Barcelona but with 1 match remaining. Real Madrid is ranked 12th after 3 matches in the Champions League, they need to win more to be able to squeeze into the top 8 and gain the right to go straight to the 1/8 round according to the new format. Tomorrow morning, Real Madrid will play the fourth match of the Champions League group stage at home against AC Milan.
