Kylian Mbappé has admitted he was “thinking a lot” as he struggled to adapt to life at Real Madrid, saying he “couldn’t do any worse” before turning his form around in recent weeks.
Mbappé now looks close to peak form, having scored 18 goals in all competitions, including four in his last three games.
However, earlier in the season he claimed he “hit rock bottom” after missing two crucial penalties in a week, against Liverpool in the Champions League and Athletic Club in LaLiga.
“I was thinking a lot,” Mbappé said in a news conference on Tuesday ahead of Madrid’s game with RB Salzburg, when asked why his adaptation had taken longer than expected.
“I was adapting, thinking a lot about how to move, how to find space, whether I should get into Vinícius Júnior‘s zone, or Rodrygo‘s. When you think so much, you don’t play well.”
“It was more mental,” Mbappé added. “I was physically fine, happy with the team, the group, but I had to give more. I knew it. I said to myself ‘now’s the moment. It’s time to change. You didn’t come to Madrid to play badly.'”
Mbappé has already won two trophies with Madrid since his arrival last summer — the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup — but the team lost the Spanish Super Cup final 5-2 to Barcelona last week, despite Mbappé’s stunning opening goal.
“It’s normal. People expected a lot of me,” Mbappé said. “I don’t take it personally, it’s football. You have to stay calm and focused. I knew the situation could change.”
The player’s “rock bottom” came when he failed to convert a spot kick at Anfield on Nov. 27, and then again at San Mamés on Dec. 4, with the team losing both games.
“I’m a player who always wants to do more,” Mbappé said. “And when you see that you don’t do that, it affects you … After the game [in Bilbao], I knew I couldn’t do worse, that I could only improve.”
Mbappé followed his goal in the Super Cup final with another outstanding strike against Celta Vigo in the Copa del Rey and then scored twice against Las Palmas in LaLiga, being denied a hat trick by the offside flag.
“I’ve been in good form for a month, or a month and a half,” Mbappé said. “I have total confidence for Wednesday [against Salzburg] in my game, and in the team.”