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Kylian Mbappé is now a Real Madrid player after years of speculation linking him with a move from Paris Saint-Germain to the Spanish giants. The French national team captain will line up as Los Blancos’ new number 9 next season, but the big question already is when we will see him on the pitch in brilliant white for the first time. Because of one extended run at UEFA Euro 2024Mbappe’s first appearance for Carlo Ancelotti’s side will be postponed, so his first appearance with the European and Spanish champions is still a few weeks away.
So, when could that be?
Will we see Mbappe on Real’s US tour?
The simple answer is no. Mbappé has been introduced to the Real fans in Santiago Bernabeu the Frenchman is not part of the selection for this summer’s American tour which started this weekend. Los Blancos will face Milan, Barcelona and Chelsea, but the 25-year-old has not traveled so don’t expect that to change. Mbappe and France went all the way to the semi-finals of Euro 2024 after a long season and he won’t be back until August 7 for the start of his pre-season, along with his French teammates Aurelien Tchouameni, Ferland Mendy and Eduardo Camavinga. Real, Mbappe and Ancelotti came to the decision together with the ex-PSG striker also nursing an injured nose after the European Championship, which will require recovery time.
So it will be a competition debut?
Yes, in the UEFA Super Cup. There is a trophy available to the winner and it pits the UEFA Champions League and Europa League title holders against each other, although this is often not considered a fully competitive match – as is the case with many domestic Super Cup versions. Real take on Atalanta in Warsaw, a full week after Mbappe returned to pre-season training. So not only could his Real debut take place in Poland, but it could also be marked with the first continental club silverware of his career. It is also the time when Mbappe himself expects to appear: “I am in contact with the doctors and they will tell me when I return from holiday,” he said at his unveiling. “We have already spoken with Antonio Pintus (Real Fitness Chief) to design a preseason program. It will be a long season, we need special preparation. I have spoken to the doctors and we will see what we go and I certainly will.” I’m playing in the Super Cup, but it depends on the coach if I’m going to work on being ready.” Furthermore, a win for Real over Atalanta could make them a record six wins, as they currently share that record with Barcelona and Milan.
What about La Liga?
Four days after the UEFA Super Cup, Real start the domestic Spanish season in Mallorca and that could also be a debut opportunity for Mbappé. Assuming he plays in Warsaw, this could well be his full competitive debut, but the expectation is that he will at least play in Poland against Atalanta, so it could already be a matter of when the Frenchman will be ready to turn 90 minutes under his belt. on this point.
And the UCL?
This is not yet completely clear – apart from the possible date. Real do not yet know what their new Champions League title group stage will look like, as this is the first season of the new UCL format. Qualifying ends at the end of August, so Los Blancos’ draw won’t take place until everything is complete.
Could he break records?
One piece of European silverware from one performance would pretty much sum up why Mbappe decided now was the time to swap PSG for Real. However, he is now too old to set milestones such as being the youngest debutant or anything resembling his early years in France. Instead, the former AS Monaco man will have to focus on productive performances. For the record, Mbappe’s PSG bow came in a 5-1 thrashing of FC Metz in Ligue 1 in 2017 with a goal in that defeat and he also found the net against Celtic on his UCL debut with Les Parisiens, just a few days later.