Real Madrid never doubted Kylian Mbappe’s quality despite slow start | OneFootball

Last night was a special for a Kylian Mbappe, whose hat-trick against Manchester City served as a statement of intent from him to his critics.

Mbappe, who has now equalled Lionel Messi’s record of scoring the most number of goals against Man City, appears to have hit the peak at the right. At least that is what Real Madrid now believe.

Real Madrid were always confident in Mbappe

A recent report from The Athletic has pointed out how Mbappe’s early days at Real Madrid were far from smooth.

The Frenchman arrived with massive expectations, but his initial performances did not meet the high standards set for him.

Some within the Madrid camp felt his difficult final months at Paris Saint-Germain, combined with a frustrating exit, had taken a toll on his confidence and sharpness.

Mbappe answered his critics brilliantly last night (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

A muscle injury in September only compounded the problem, forcing him to miss France’s international fixtures and delaying his adaptation to Carlo Ancelotti’s system.

Despite the criticism and slow start, Real Madrid’s dressing room remained confident in Mbappe’s abilities. His teammates and the coaching staff believed it was only a matter of time before he returned to his best form.

The turning point came at the beginning of 2025, when he started finding the net consistently and rediscovering his spark.

Mbappe’s slow return to peak reached its summit against Man City last night, when he produced a memorable display in front of the Real Madrid fans at Santiago Bernabeu.

As mentioned earlier, no one at Real Madrid had lost faith. And now, the club believe the Frenchman is peaking at the right time, as Los Blancos gear up for the most crucial phase of the campaign.