Kylian Mbappé admitted he is now close to his best after scoring twice in Real Madrid’s 4-1 win over Las Palmas on Sunday, saying “I have adapted to the team now and I can play how I want “.
Madrid led from the first minute at the Bernabéu, before Mbappé responded from the penalty spot, Brahim Diaz added a second, and Mbappé scored a third, and had another goal disallowed for offside.
Rodrygo made it 4-1 in the second half, while Jude Bellingham And Federico Valverde both had goals ruled out by VAR, while Madrid were two points clear at the top of La Liga.
“I’m really happy,” Mbappé told Real Madrid TV when asked about the Bernabéu crowd chanting his name during the match. “I’ve adapted to the team now and I can play the way I want, with my teammates, with personality. We all appreciate that.”
Mbappé was criticized for his form earlier in the season but has now scored 18 goals in all competitions, including four in his last three appearances this week.
Madrid’s victory allowed them to take advantage of slips by Atletico Madrid – who lost 1-0 at Leganés – and Barcelona, who drew 1-1 at Getafe.
“It was an important match, we knew what happened yesterday, with Atletico and Barcelona,” Mbappé said. “We wanted to win, and we did. We started badly… but the reaction was ‘great’.
“We were at the forefront, we played fast, we attacked spaces with quality. We scored a lot of goals. We are happy, because we are leaders.”
The victory against Las Palmas was a convincing response to the 5-2 defeat to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final and the need for extra time to beat Celta Vigo in midweek in the Copa del Rey.
“I’m proud of (the team’s) reaction,” Mbappé said. “Losing the Super Cup was tough, and although we played well in the cup, we made mistakes and played in overtime. But we had the personality to win. Today was very important. Now we Let’s count on ourselves to win the championship.”
Manager Carlo Ancelotti suggested criticism of Madrid’s form was excessive.
“I’m still a little confused,” Ancelotti said in his post-match press conference. “There are days when we played very badly, but what I see is that Madrid are leaders. I will continue to study to see if I am wrong.”
“There are critics, then there are critics,” Ancelotti added. “The whistles from the Bernabéu hurt us and motivated us. It was a useful wake-up call.”
Ancelotti hailed Mbappé as “the best center forward in the world”.
“People doubted he could play there,” he said. “He is a big striker, who feels comfortable in the middle. His movement is unique, and by playing inside he can get the most out of it.”
