“It’s a lack of respect”, “You’re taking a risk” - Details of Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe’s heated row with referee in win vs Espanyol emerges
Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe put himself in a precarious situation with referee Jose Luis Munuera Montero during Los Blancos' match against Espanyol on September 21 at Santiago Bernabeu. The defending champions comfortably outclassed Espanyol by 4-1, catapulting themselves to second on the league table.
The verbal feud started roughly 30 minutes into the game when Mbappe vehemently protested an offside call by the referee. The Frenchman initially thought that he was being booked for a foul on Leandro Cabrera, but later realized that he was flagged offside.
Mbappe's reaction caused the referee to issue him his first yellow card since joining Real Madrid.
“It’s a lack of respect, I’ll give you a card for that disrespect,” said Jose Luis Munuera Montero before producing the card. (quoted by Mundo Deportivo).
In the second half, Vinicius Jr. started another wave of protests with Mbappe and Bellingham joining in. The collective dissent shown by Kylian Mbappe over the two halves pushed him to the brink of getting sent off. Reminding him of the consequences, referee Munuera Montero warned:
“You’re taking a risk, Kylian.”
Coming to their performance on the pitch, Vinicius Jr. stole the show after being introduced by Carlo Ancelotti in the second half (55'). The Brazilian rattled the Espanyol reinforcements, producing a goal (78') and an assist (75'). Mbappe applied the finishing touch after converting a penalty (90') to make it 4-1 on the night for the defending champions.
Kylian Mbappe posts a career-best benchmark in Real Madrid's win over Espanyol
Kylian Mbappe has finally adapted to his new colors and was firing on all cylinders in Real Madrid's game against Espanyol on Saturday. Although the Frenchman netted a goal (90') and an assist (78'), his playmaking ability turned the eyes of fans and pundits the most.
For the first time in his illustrious career, Kylian Mbappe registered a staggering seven key passes during a game. In addition to being a goal-machine, the statistic highlights his growing influence as a playmaker.
Kylian Mbappe joined Los Blancos in the last summer transfer window and has been heavily touted as Cristiano Ronaldo's successor at the club. Despite a seemingly slow start to the league campaign, the Frenchman has already recorded six goals and an assist in eight club games across competitions.
Cristiano Ronaldo is the highest scorer in Real Madrid's history, netting 450 goals and providing 131 assists in 438 appearances across competitions. Prior to joining the Spanish giants, Mbappe had recorded a whopping 256 goals and 108 assists in 308 games for PSG across competitions.
It will be interesting to see how Kylian Mbappe's numbers in Real Madrid compare with those of Cristiano Ronaldo in a few years.