Kylian Mbappe has spoken of the “mentality issue” that saw him make a slow start to life at Real Madrid.
Great things were expected of Mbappe when he made a free move to the Bernabeu from Paris Saint-Germain last summer.
But the France captain has not hit his best early form in the Spanish capital, at one point scoring just three times during an 11-match run, a run that included three missed penalties.
More recently though, the 26-year-old has found form, scoring four times in his last three games for Real.
“I think it was a matter of mentality and that was a point where I realized I had to work harder,” Mbappe said ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League clash with Red Bull Salzburg.
“I was thinking too much about how to do things. Either go into space, or go to Vini’s (Vinicius Jr) area of ​​the pitch, Rodrygo’s area. When you overthink, you don’t focus on your game.
“I was good physically and with the team, but I knew I had to do more, it was time to change the situation.
“I’m a player who always wants to do more. And when you see that you’re not doing that, it affects you.
“I couldn’t have done anything worse, so when you hit rock bottom (after the failure against Liverpool) you can only go up.”
Speaking about the added pressure on his shoulders since joining Los Blancos, Mbappe added: “It’s normal. People expected a lot from me.
“I don’t take it personally, it’s football. You must remain calm and collected. I knew the situation could change.”
Mbappe scored a stunning opener against Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup earlier this month before losing 5-2 to their bitter rivals. Since then, the French forward has scored against Celta Vigo before adding two against La Palma at the weekend.
“I’ve been in good form for a month or a month and a half,” Mbappe said. “I have full confidence for Wednesday (against Salzburg) in my game and in the team.”
