Kylian Mbappe’s first appearance since joining Real Madrid after years of speculation linking him with a move from Paris Saint-Germain to the Spanish giants is expected to happen on Wednesday. The France national team captain will likely line up as Los Blancos’ new No. 9 for the first time in brilliant white this midweek in the UEFA Super Cup. Because of an extended run at UEFA Euro 2024, Mbappe’s first appearance for Carlo Ancelotti’s European and Spanish champions has been delayed until now but expect to see him feature in Poland against Atalanta BC.
Why was Mbappe not on Real’s U.S. tour?
Mbappe was introduced to the Real fans at Santiago Bernabeu but the Frenchman was not part of the squad for this summer’s U.S. tour of the U.S. Los Blancos faced Milan, Barcelona and Chelsea but the 25-year-old did not travel after Mbappe and France went all the way to the Euro 2024 semifinals following a long season. He was not due back for the start of his preseason until last week along with fellow French teammates Aurelien Tchouameni, Ferland Mendy and Eduardo Camavinga. Real, Mbappe and Ancelotti came to the decision together with the ex-PSG attacker also nursing an injured nose post-Euro which required some recovery time.
So, this would be his competitive debut?
Yes, in the UEFA Super Cup. There is a trophy available for the winner and it does pit the UEFA Champions League and Europa League titleholders against each other, although it is often not considered a fully competitive fixture — as is the case with many domestic Super Cup iterations. Real face Atalanta in Warsaw one full week after Mbappe’s return to preseason training, so not only will his Real debut come in Poland, but it could also be marked with a first piece of continental club silverware of his career. Additionally, a Real win over Atalanta could see them become record six-time winners as they currently share that record with Barcelona and Milan.
What about in La Liga?
Four days after the UEFA Super Cup, Real start the domestic Spanish season away at Mallorca and that could also be a Spanish debut opportunity for Mbappe. Assuming he does start in Warsaw, this could well be his full competitive debut, but the expectation is that he will at least feature in Poland against Atalanta so it could already be a question of when the Frenchman is ready to get 90 minutes under his belt by this point.
And the UCL?
This one is not totally clear yet — aside from the potential date. Real do not yet know what their new-look Champions League title defense group stage will look like given that this is the first season of the new UCL format. Qualification finishes at the end of August so Los Blancos’ draw will only be made once that is all complete.
Could he break any records?
One piece of European silverware from one appearance would pretty much sum up why Mbappe decided that now was the moment to swap PSG for Real. However, he is too old now to set landmarks such as being the youngest debutant or anything like his early years in France. Instead, the former AS Monaco man will have to target prolific achievements instead. For the record, Mbappe’s PSG bow came in a 5-1 thrashing of FC Metz in Ligue 1 back in 2017 with a goal in that rout and he also found the net against Celtic in his UCL debut with Les Parisiens just a few days later.