It’s been just over ten years since the world was introduced to Kylian Mbappe. Subbed on in the 88th minute in a Ligue 1 home draw (1-1) against Caen. The then sixteen-year-old forward stepped onto the pitch for the first time dawning the No 33 on the back of a red and white AS Monaco home kit that did not even bear his name on it.
Ten years, 411 career goals and a long list of accomplishments later Mbappe- now France-international captain and just 2 goals away from being their all-time leading goalscorer- will square off with his former club again as Real Madrid welcome AS Monaco to the Bernabéu in the Champions League tonight.
The last time these two teams clashed was back in the 03/04 Champions League campaign. A quarter-final two parter which saw Madrid win at home (4-2) but ended in upset for Los Blancos as Monaco pulled it back to 5-5 on aggregate by winning 3-1 when Real visited the French riviera. Back when now Real Madrid head coach Álvaro Arbeloa was just a fresh-faced nineteen-year-old developing in Madrid’s youth set up.
Now fresh of his first win at the helm of Los Meringues- a 2-0 La Liga triumph against Levante- the newly promoted head coach looks to lead his squad into his first Champions League match in the dug-out. Arbeloa who has won the competition twice as a player with the club will know what it takes to win the competition. The question remains if he will be able to pull it off.
With his team currently in 7th they will look to cement their position in the top 8 to avoid playing two extra play-off games. Monaco on the otherhand, find themselves faced with a formidable challenge. The French side are currently in 19th position with just 9 points from 6 games. They will need to walk away with points from their last two fixtures to ensure they won’t be leapfrogged by their competitors and to avoid dropping out of the competition completely.
Boo’s at the Bernabéau
It’s been a rocky start for Arbeloa. He might have gotten his first win at the weekend but the dust is yet to settle in the Spanish capital. Barcelona’s collapse against Real Sociedad on Sunday means that Madrid are now only one point behind the defending La Liga champions in this title race. But, the day before Madrid fans showed their dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs. As the Bernabéu erupted in a symphony of critiques. The Madrid players were whistled before the first kick of the game. Vinicius Jr, Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde seemed to take the gross of the blame. Three senior squad members who according to The Athletic did not buy into Alonso’s methods. The critique seemed to be the reaction to a disappointing result in the Copa del Rey against second-tier side Albacete (3-2 away).
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