MADRID — Real Madrid’s much-hyped summer signing collected the ball just outside the box. One touch took the ball away from the nearest defender, and another fired a low, effortless shot past the goalkeeper. The goal extended Madrid’s lead over Real Valladolid to 3-0 in added time. Game over.
But this wasn’t Kylian Mbappé scoring on his long-awaited home debut at the Santiago Bernabeu. It was another new arrival, Endrick. In fact, Mbappé wasn’t even on the pitch. Madrid’s No. 9 had been replaced by the Brazilian teenager 10 minutes earlier, with his team taking a precarious 1-0 lead.
First impressions matter, especially after such a long wait. Mbappé taking to the Bernabeu pitch in a Real Madrid shirt was a moment he and the club’s fans had long been waiting for. And it didn’t go as they would have liked.
There was no goal; no smiling, arms-crossed celebration. It ultimately didn’t matter — Madrid were comfortable winners in the end, thanks to second-half goals from Federico Valverde, Brahim Díaz and Endrick — but the performance from Mbappé, and the team as a whole, suggested this Madrid side is still a work in progress.
In 86 minutes on the pitch, Mbappé had the fewest touches of any of Madrid’s outfield players (47) and attempted the fewest passes (26). And in terms of what really matters, how he’ll be judged — goal scoring — he drew a blank.
He had four shots, three of which were saved by Valladolid goalkeeper Karl Hein. The third of those was his best, a clever, improvised backheeled flick, when Vinícius Júnior’s cross arrived just behind him. His biggest regret late on might have been his fourth shot, taken across goal and well wide, when in behind the defence. It was Mbappé’s last action before being substituted by manager Carlo Ancelotti.
At that point, at 1-0, the game wasn’t yet won. But Ancelotti, who had already introduced Luka Modric, Díaz and Dani Ceballos, wanted a change in attack. Enter Endrick. Two minutes later, Diaz scored Madrid’s second, ending the contest before Endrick applied the finishing touch in added time.
Mbappé’s position in the Real Madrid team is clear enough. He is the centre-forward, with Vinícius and Rodrygo on either wing. That means he’s in no danger of losing his place. Speaking after the game, Ancelotti insisted that Mbappé isn’t limited by playing centrally. However, against a compact and organised Valladolid, there was little space for him to operate and few opportunities to showcase his greatest quality: his pace.
There were some moments of frustration. During the first-half cooling break after half an hour — with temperatures at 34 degrees Celsius (93 F) in Madrid — Mbappé could be seen deep in conversation with Vinícius. Their body language and gestures suggested they were discussing how to better coordinate their movements and Madrid’s press.
There were even a few premature whistles from the Bernabeu crowd after 40 minutes when midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni overhit a pass and fired into Mbappé’s feet at the edge of the box, which the forward was never going to be able to control.
There were near misses and suggestions of what the future will likely hold. In the second half, Vinícius dropped deeper, came infield and then drove forward with the ball, almost threading a pass through to Mbappé. The two players combined brilliantly for Mbappé’s best moment, the flick that Hein saved. And his last chance, shooting wide, was the kind he’d normally convert, perhaps if he weren’t on edge, and so keen to impress.
It didn’t help that Mbappé’s replacement, Endrick, took his opportunity, and looked so carefree doing so. There have been plenty of questions about the 18-year-old’s readiness at this, the highest level, but here, in a brief glimpse, he looked ready. “He has great potential,” Ancelotti said. “With the goal, he showed all his qualities.”
Of course, this wasn’t really the Bernabeu’s introduction to Mbappé. He’s been here three times before, wearing a Paris Saint-Germain shirt: playing in a 3-1 defeat in February 2018, scoring in a 2-2 draw in November 2019, and most memorably, impressing in a 3-1 loss in March 2022. The fans know his quality and will be patient.
But here, on his home debut, he didn’t deliver in the way so many Madrid greats have. Cristiano Ronaldo scored in his first game at the Bernabeu. Ronaldo Nazário scored after a minute, with his first touch, off the bench in October 2002. More recently, Jude Bellingham scored in the 95th minute to give Madrid a 2-1 win over Getafe last season, cementing his already blossoming relationship with Madrid’s fans.
For Endrick, the short wait for a LaLiga goal is over, a weight lifted. Mbappé’s goes on.