Mbappe copies Yamal, takes new vow

Kylian Mbappé has issued a promise to the Real Madrid faithful, vowing that the club will soon return to its historic winning ways following their Champions League quarter-final elimination at the hands of Bayern Munich this week. 

Despite finding the back of the net in the decisive second leg, the Les Bleus captain's efforts were not enough to prevent Los Blancos from crashing out of Europe. 

The exit all but guarantees a devastating second consecutive major trophyless season for the Spanish giants since Mbappé’s blockbuster transfer in the summer of 2024. 

Having already been eliminated from the Copa del Rey and currently sitting a massive nine points adrift of Barcelona in the LALIGA title race with only seven matches remaining, Real Madrid are set to replicate the barren domestic and European run of his debut campaign.   

After the high-profile exit from the Champions League to European rivals Bayern Munich, Mbappe said, “We need to take a hard look at ourselves to avoid this kind of disappointment again,” per Fabrizio Romano. “We will never give up! In Madrid, failure has never been and never will be an option."

Mbappé’s plea for patience mirrors a similar declaration made just days earlier by Barcelona's 18-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal, who took to Instagram to promise fans he would return the Champions League to Catalonia following his own team's exit to Atletico Madrid. 

However, the pressure on the 2018 World Cup winner is uniquely magnified by his profound individual struggles leading up to the Bayern clash. 

Before getting on the scoresheet in the European exit, Mbappé was enduring the worst statistical slump of his Madrid career, managing just one goal in his previous seven appearances across all competitions. 

During that dismal seven-game stretch, his usually elite shot conversion rate had plummeted from 25% to a mere 4%, drawing intense scrutiny.