Kylian Mbappe’s Transition to Central Striker at Real Madrid: Insights from Karim Benzema
Kylian Mbappe faces a pivotal challenge at Real Madrid: adapting to a central striker role, as he cannot displace Vinicius Junior from the left wing. This perspective comes from Karim Benzema, the club’s second-highest scorer of all time.
Since joining Real Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain, Mbappe has netted eight goals in 14 appearances across all competitions. However, he has struggled recently, failing to score in his last five matches. Under Carlo Ancelotti, the 26-year-old has been utilized in a more central position, contrasting with his successful wide role at PSG.
Benzema expressed his concerns on the Spanish television show El Chiringuito, stating, “The problem, in my opinion, is that Mbappe is not a central striker. Even with the national team, he doesn’t feel right as a number nine because that’s not his position.” He highlighted the challenge of having two top-tier players, Mbappe and Vinicius, competing for the same position, emphasizing that Vinicius excels on the left wing.
This season, Mbappe has underperformed his expected goals (xG) in LaLiga by 1.75, with a shot conversion rate of just 18.18% from 33 attempts. He has also missed seven significant chances, ranking among the players with the most missed opportunities in the league.
In a recent 4-0 Clasico defeat, Mbappe had only 27 touches, with only Aurelien Tchouameni recording fewer among the starters. Benzema, who also had a slow start at Madrid, netting just nine goals in his debut season, went on to become one of the club’s all-time greats, scoring 354 goals in 648 appearances.
With 25 major honors and a Ballon d’Or win in 2022, Benzema offered encouragement to Mbappe: “Don’t give up. I don’t think he’ll push Vinicius to move; he’s the best player in the world right now.” He advised Mbappe to embrace his role as a number nine and temporarily set aside his left-wing ambitions.
Mbappe will look to regain his form as he prepares to face AC Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday.
