Didi Hamann names Real Madrid player who has 'suffered the most' since Kylian Mbappe's arrival
Former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann has claimed that Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham has 'suffered the most' since Kylian Mbappe's arrival at the club. The German laid into the 25-year-old forward, asserting that his addition to Los Blancos' squad has 'not improved' them.
Bellingham enjoyed an incredible campaign in the 2023-24 season, bagging 23 goals and 13 assists in 42 appearances across all competitions. He won the LaLiga title, UEFA Champions League trophy, and Supercopa de Espana in his debut season with Real Madrid. He finished third in the 2024 Ballon d'Or rankings, behind teammate Vinicius Jr. and eventual winner, Manchester City midfielder Rodri.
Meanwhile, upon the expiration of his contract at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Mbappe made the move to the Santiago Bernabeu on a free transfer in the summer. Although he has nine goals and two assists in 17 games this season, he has faced a lot of criticism.
One of the reasons why he has been criticized is that he isn't able to gel well with his fellow attackers Bellingham, Rodrygo, and Vinicius. Many have also claimed that the Englishman has had to take a backseat because of the Frenchman's position on the pitch.
The latest addition to that group of critics is Hamann, who claimed that the 21-year-old has taken a backseat because of Mbappe. He said to Genting Casino (via GOAL):
"I don't think Mbappe has improved them. I think they've got too many stars, or too many players who want to shine, and not enough players who make others better."
"The player who's probably suffered the most after the arrival of Mbappe is (Jude) Bellingham. He scored a hatful of goals before Christmas last season. He played pretty much as a centre forward because they didn’t have one, and now he’s got to do some dirty work, because you can’t have four players not defending - three is probably too much (Rodrygo, Mbappe and Vinicius)."
Despite a few injury concerns, Bellingham has looked solid on the pitch, with two goals and four assists to his name in 14 appearances for Real Madrid this season.
"There's a lot of question marks" - Didi Hamann makes prediction about Real Madrid's 2024-25 UCL campaign
Ex-German midfielder Didi Hamann claimed that he cannot see Real Madrid defending the UEFA Champions League title they won in the 2023-24 season. The former Bayern Munich man acknowledged the squad's individual quality but asserted that there are a lot of 'question marks' about the squad.
Carlo Ancelotti's side beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the UCL final last season, with Dani Carvajal (74') and Vinicius Jr. (83') scoring the goals. Despite the addition of superstar forward Kylian Mbappe in the summer, they have had a shaky start to the 2024-25 UCL campaign. They have recorded two wins and two losses in four games.
Hamann said to Genting Casino (via GOAL):
"You can't defend with six or seven players. It's impossible. You might beat teams in La Liga, but you won’t beat the best teams in Europe. Obviously, they've got great individual quality, but I think there's a lot of question marks about the team. I don't see them defending the title."
Up next, Real Madrid will take on Liverpool in an almost must-win UCL encounter at Anfield on November 27.