The jury is very much out over whether the Frenchman is the right man to lead the Blancos' line after his latest no-show on the biggest stage

Last summer, the best player in the world joined the best team in the world. Or at least, that's what Real Madrid thought when they signed Kylian Mbappe on a free transfer after his departure from Paris Saint-Germain.

It was certainly a major power play from Real after their Champions League and La Liga double success in 2023-24, and on paper, it felt like adding Mbappe to an attack already boasting Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham was borderline unfair. The expectation was clear: Mbappe would lead Madrid into its next dynastic era.

Let's start by giving Mbappe his due credit: Real's latest 'Galactico' has scored 32 goals in 49 appearances across his debut season, which is an impressive haul by any standard. He's also hit two-hat-tricks, including in a 3-1 win over Premier League champions Manchester City in the Champions League knockout stage playoffs that briefly had everyone believing Los Blancos would storm to their 16th European crown.

But that milestone is now out of Real's reach. Arsenal pulled off one of the competition's great upsets to oust the holders at the quarter-final stage, with Carlo Ancelotti's team looking a shadow of the all-conquering side they were last term.

That's partly because the Mbappe who bullied City didn't turn up in either leg against the Gunners. Madristas were left frustrated with their talismanic No.9, but anyone who watched PSG over the past seven seasons would not have been surprised; Mbappe is becoming kryptonite to winning the Champions League, and Madrid might not lift the trophy again if they continue to pin all their hopes on the 25-year-old.

GettyExposed by Arsenal

The truth is that Madrid have been disjointed for the majority of the season. A lack of transfer activity is the main reason for that, with Ancelotti's defence decimated by injuries and the Toni Kroos-shaped hole in the midfield yet to be filled, but it's also undeniable that Mbappe's presence has created an imbalance.

In 2023-24, Bellingham often played through the middle, and led Madrid's press flanked by Vinicius and Rodrygo. But ever since Mbappe's arrival, the defensive work of the frontline has dwindled significantly.

Mbappe, Vinicius and Rodrygo have all neglected to put in the hard yards, which has forced Bellingham and Federico Valverde to drop deeper and try to compensate. Opposing teams have been able to get at Madrid far too easily as a result, with Ancelotti's makeshift defence left exposed against the top teams.

That was the case when Arsenal thrashed the Blancos 3-0 at Emirates Stadium, and again at Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday. The Gunners booked their place in the Champions League semi-finals with a 2-1 win in the Spanish capital, and in the end, Real were lucky the final 5-1 aggregate scoreline wasn't wider.

Bukayo Saka missed a first-half penalty, and Martin Odegaard wasted a glorious opening against his former club in the second when he curled a shot wide of the far post. At the other end of the pitch, the home side struggled to create anything of note, with even Vinicius' consolation goal only coming after an uncharacteristic mistake from William Saliba.

AdvertisementGettyWorrying loss of form

Mbappe limped off with an injury in the 75th minute of the second leg after a tangle with Declan Rice, but you'd have been forgiven for thinking he didn't even start. Indeed, the World Cup winner didn't manage a single shot on target and only touched the ball four times in Arsenal's box as he was effectively marked out of the game by Saliba and Jakub Kiwior.

A player of Mbappe's stature should be taking games like this by the scruff of the neck – that's what Madrid bought him for. But he has now gone four Champions League matches without a goal or an assist – the worst run of his career to date – having also struggled to make an impact in the last-16 win over Atletico Madrid.

It seems that Mbappe is running out of steam down the finishing straight of the campaign, too, with no goal contributions in any of his last five appearances across all competitions. This is simply not good enough for Real's first-choice striker, or a player who Ancelotti has backed to follow in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Getty/GOALNot living up to clutch CR7

Ronaldo fired Madrid to four Champions League titles, scoring 67 goals in the knockout stages alone, including four in six finals. In the clutch moments, Madrid have never had a more reliable frontman.

At the moment, it's difficult to see Mbappe getting close to Ronaldo's level. The former Monaco and PSG talisman has a very respectable 24 to his name in the latter rounds of Europe's most prestigious competition, but only one of those has come in seven appearances beyond the quarter-finals.

Mbappe was completely ineffective in PSG's last-four defeat to Borussia Dortmund last season, and in their semi-final loss to Man City in 2020-21. PSG did reach their first-ever final in 2019-20, but they went down 1-0 to Bayern Munich in Lisbon, with Mbappe squandering a gilt-edge chance in the first half that may have changed the tide of the contest.

It would be too harsh to say that Mbappe is not a big-game player; after all, he has scored four goals for France across two World Cup finals, and he's already ninth on the list of the top all-time scorers in the Champions League. But in the latter competition, Mbappe seems to have developed a mental block, and has yet to prove he can carry a team all the way to the trophy like Ronaldo did.

GettyBetter off with Joselu?

Madrid will have to make some big changes to re-establish themselves as Champions League contenders again next season. That may include sacking Ancelotti, but a defensive overhaul should be the priority, and the addition of another centre-forward.

Mbappe's numbers suggest he's done okay in that role, but it still doesn't come naturally to him. The France captain has always been at his most dangerous coming off the left, and that spot could be his again at Real if a Saudi Pro League side succeeds in a summer swoop for Vinicius.

Even if the Brazil international stays, a reshuffle of some kind is needed. The Blancos have regressed with Mbappe up top, which even one of his own team-mates has come out to acknowledge.

Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois told after the home defeat to Arsenal: "They're a team that defends well, is well organised, presses well, and it's difficult to find space. We put in a lot of crosses, but this year we don't have Joselu, a natural striker up front."

Courtois was not suggesting that the former Stoke City marksman is better than Mbappe, but simply pointing out that he gave Madrid a different dimension. Indeed, their last European triumph probably wouldn't have materialised without Joselu, who scored a stunning late brace to take them past Bayern in the semi-finals.

In hindsight, Real were too quick to facilitate Joselu's €1.5m summer move to Qatari side Al Gharafa. He contributed 17 goals in 48 appearances for the Spanish champions last term, despite only starting 18 times, and Ancelotti hasn't been able to come up with another Plan B upfront since his exit.