Dazzling Mbappe goal, Vini Jr. celebration makes it clear Real Madrid are Kylian's team now

Kyle Bonn

•
Dazzling Mbappe goal, Vini Jr. celebration makes it clear Real Madrid are Kylian's team now image

It wasn't all sunshine and roses for Kylian Mbappe in his first few weeks at Real Madrid, but by the end of September, there's no question that the Frenchman has risen to the position of Chief Galactico at the famed Spanish club.

After joining this past summer on a free transfer from PSG to end a years-long courtship, Mbappe has finally hit full stride with Los Blancos.

At a club full of global superstars both past and present and famous for its Galactico signing, it would have been easy for the France international to get swallowed up by the glitz, glamor, and bright lights of Real Madrid lore. It certainly seemed like that could be playing out as Mbappe struggled to grip Carlo Ancleotti's system, his poor end to life at PSG appearing to have carried over into Spain.

MORE: All the latest soccer news | Real Madrid news | Explaining how 'socios' own Real Madrid

After watching Mbappe dazzle against Alaves in a Tuesday La Liga matinee from the Bernabeu in late September, that no longer appears to be the case.

Real Madrid is Kylian Mbappe's team now. To channel Barkhad Abdi's character from Captain Phillips, Mbappe will be saying to his teammates, "Look at me. I'm the captain now."

The 25-year-old Frenchman scored his best goal for Madrid yet against Alaves as he played a delicious one-two with Jude Bellingham and finished it off with aplomb. The feed to Bellingham was the best part of the move, as he deftly delivered a sneaky rabona to his teammate before making an incisive run off the ball through the heart of the opposition defense.

Watch Mbappe goal vs. Alaves in USA:

Having evaded any previous opponent marking him, Mbappe then received the ball back from Bellingham and produced a wonderful touch onto his right to leave the remaining defender in a blender. From there, it was elementary as he finished the chance cooly one-on-one with the goalkeeper.

The moment came just three days after his teammate Vinicius Jr, who himself is a major candidate for this year's Ballon d'Or, used the celebration of his goal in a 4-1 win over Espanyol as a nod to Mbappe. The Brazilian ran right up to Mbappe and did the Frenchman's signature goal celebration, crossing his arms as Mbappe drew close for a hug.

Mbappe impressed so much on Tuesday that, somewhat surreally, Alaves defender Abdelkabir Abqar successfully requested a shirt swap with Mbappe as the players headed down the tunnel at halftime, an ultimate sign of respect and admiration. Abqar was subsequently withdrawn at the break by Alaves manager Luis Garcia, although whether those two events were related is not known.

There's no doubt that the Kylian Mbappe which Florentino Perez would have dreamed about has finally arrived at Real Madrid, and not a moment too soon with the reshuffled 2024/25 Champions League now in full gear.

Even fellow superstar Vinicius Jr knows that this is Mbappe's Real Madrid now, and they will be an absolute force because of it.

Kyle Bonn

Kyle Bonn Photo

Kyle Bonn, is a Syracuse University broadcast journalism graduate with over a decade of experience covering soccer globally. Kyle specializes in soccer tactics and betting, with a degree in data analytics. Kyle also does TV broadcasts for Wake Forest soccer, and has had previous stops with NBC Soccer and IMG College. When not covering the game, he has long enjoyed loyalty to the New York Giants, Yankees, and Fulham. Kyle enjoys playing racquetball and video games when not watching or covering sports.