As if time had not existed after that match at San Mamés, the most apathetic and, unfortunately, well-known version of Kylian Mbappé reappeared. The Frenchman returned to the vices of the start of the season in what was probably Real Madrid‘s most important match so far. Because there is always one more; and City, for the Bernabéu, is already history. This is how the Frenchman was reminded of it, albeit timidly, with the now classic murmur that even Cristiano Ronaldo or Zidane had to feel in the past.
But the worst, perhaps, happened in injury time. The Frenchman received the ball on the right wing and, when he only had to decide between shooting at goal or, the option he chose, poorly executed, passing it to Vinicius. He missed a pass that Vinicius only had to push the ball into the goal for and make it 3-1, which would not have been the final score, but would have been a much more reassuring advantage for the second leg at the Metropolitano.
But he didn’t appear in the previous 90 minutes either. Kylian once again seemed a clumsy, slow player who, at times, seems to be in a category to which he does not belong. He missed more than 20% of his passes; he only made one good dribble; two were bad; and he only had one shot on goal. Statistics that, on a day like today against Atlético de Madrid, leave the fans frozen, not wanting to doubt him again; but perhaps they were expecting the more ‘Cristiano-esque‘ version, remembering that hat trick in 2017.
A worrying match but, like the result, not definitive. Mbappé said in the preview that he preferred Atlético de Madrid because he wouldn’t have to get on a plane and would be more rested. His wishes were granted and now the fans are hoping for a return to the post San Mamés version, the hat-trick version against Manchester City, the version of the best player on the planet. On Wednesday, the final, but perhaps not the last, opportunity at the Metropolitano.