Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso has revealed that star forward Kylian Mbappe feels no urgency to claim his first Champions League title, despite the weight of expectation following his summer move from Paris Saint-Germain.
Mbappe, 26, joined the record 15-time European champions last summer, only for PSG—his former club—to win the Champions League for the first time in their history just months later.
Speaking ahead of Madrid’s opening group-stage clash against Marseille at the Santiago Bernabeu, Alonso downplayed any sense of pressure on the French forward.
“He’s not anxious, we all feel this is a project that’s just starting,” Alonso said in Monday’s press conference. “Of course, winning the Champions League is one of our objectives, hopefully sooner rather than later, but Kylian is part of the journey. He knows it’s about the process, not just the final.”
Alonso added that the team’s focus is on the present, not on dreaming about the final in May.
Mbappe has already made an electric start to life in La Liga, scoring four goals in four matches this season. However, he struggled at the Club World Cup in the United States, where Madrid were thrashed 4-0 by PSG in the semi-final. Alonso revealed that a stomach bug had affected his star striker’s performance.
“It was Kylian ‘lite’ at the Club World Cup because of gastroenteritis,” Alonso explained. “But now he’s back at his best, and without doubt, he’s a leader—his personality, his experience, and his influence on teammates make that clear.”
Despite Real Madrid’s dominance in Europe, with six Champions League titles in the last 12 years, Alonso stressed he does not feel extra pressure from the club’s history. Instead, he believes his squad, with Mbappe at the heart of it, is building towards another era of success.
