{"id":4329,"date":"2025-04-18T15:35:29","date_gmt":"2025-04-18T15:35:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/asport.com.ng\/?p=4329"},"modified":"2025-04-18T15:35:29","modified_gmt":"2025-04-18T15:35:29","slug":"mbappe-and-the-champions-league-syndrome-did-real-bet-on-the-bad-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asport.com.ng\/?p=4329","title":{"rendered":"Mbapp\u00e9 and the Champions League syndrome: did Real bet on the bad man?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> [ad_1]<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"article-teaser\">Despite his star status, Mbapp\u00e9 is still struggling to shine when it counts: his new disillusionment in C1 with Real relaunches doubts.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"article-body\">\n<p>Last summer, the best player in the world joined what seemed to be the best team in the world. At least, that&#39;s what Real Madrid thought by signing Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 free after leaving Paris Saint-Germain.<\/p>\n<p>This transfer symbolized a monumental coup on the part of the Merengue club, freshly surrounded by a double Champions League &#8211; Liga in 2023-2024. On paper, add Mbapp\u00e9 to an offensive sector already composed of Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham appeared almost unfair. The ambition was clear: install Mbapp\u00e9 as the leader of a new hegemonic cycle.<\/p>\n<p>And let&#39;s do him justice: with 32 goals in 49 appearances for his first Madrid season, the former Parisian displays honorable statistics. He even signed two triplets, including one resounding against Manchester City, champion of England, in the eliminatory phase of C1 &#8211; a moment which made believe in a 16th European coronation for Real.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fc-player_fc-player__qByHT\"><span class=\"fc-player_label___n_vK\">The article continues below<\/span><\/div>\n<p>But this dream shattered. Arsenal has signed one of the greatest recent exploits in the competition by leaving the title holders from the quarters, facing a unrecognizable Madrid team.<\/p>\n<p>And if Real sank, it is also because the dominating Mbapp\u00e9 against City never existed against the Gunners. A bitter observation for Madrid fans &#8230; but not surprising for those who have followed PSG in recent years: Mbapp\u00e9 seems to have become a form of kryptonite for clubs dreaming of the C1. And as long as the real will bet everything on him, the cup with the big ears may well escape them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>[ad_2]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[ad_1] Despite his star status, Mbapp\u00e9 is still struggling to shine when it counts: his new disillusionment in C1 with Real relaunches doubts. Last summer, the best player in the &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":4330,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-football"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Mbapp\u00e9 and the Champions League syndrome: did Real bet on the bad man? - Asport<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/asport.com.ng\/?p=4329\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mbapp\u00e9 and the Champions League syndrome: did Real bet on the bad man? - Asport\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"[ad_1] Despite his star status, Mbapp\u00e9 is still struggling to shine when it counts: his new disillusionment in C1 with Real relaunches doubts. 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