How Kylian Mbappe is becoming ‘main man’ at Real Madrid after another UEFA Champions League hat-trick – ‘A man possessed’

Mbappe suffered a slow start to life in Madrid last season before eventually notching 44 goals in total, in what was a disappointing season overall for the club.

Yet the 26-year-old has begun this campaign with a vengeance and has already scored 13 goals in nine games across all competitions. Only Harry Kane has scored more, with 17 in the same number of games.

“I feel like he’s playing with a point to prove,” said Williams on TNT Sports’ Goals Show. “I feel like he’s left PSG and come to Real Madrid expecting to win the Champions League, because that’s some of the reason why he left Paris in the beginning.

“He and Real Madrid collectively didn’t perform last year, but he looks like a man possessed a little bit. In terms of, ‘I’m going to be the main man and get these goals.’ He looks like he’s full of confidence.”

The 5-0 thrashing came just three days after the humiliating loss to bitter rivals Atletico, in which Xabi Alonso’s side were unable to contain Julian Alvarez’s brilliance.

Madrid were expected to comfortably win in Almaty, following a 13-hour flight from Madrid, and did so, but it is a win that will not undo the damage done by Diego Simeone’s side.

“As a collective, that is a game they should have won tonight, easily and comfortably, and they’ve done that, but it was a poor performance at the weekend,” Williams added.

Alonso will likely have to wait until sterner tests against Juventus and Barcelona later in October to decipher where his team are really at.

Mbappe’s performances will be encouraging for Los Blancos, though, as they bid for more silverware.

“Has he fallen back in love with the game, or has he fallen in love with the adulation that is shown towards him?” former Arsenal defender Martin Keown asked of the striker.

On the likes of Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham, Keown said: “We’re not seeing their best. It can’t be a one-man team. The manager has to work hard here to make sure they’re not affected by their dominance.”

Former Real Madrid midfielder Steve McManaman pondered if Mbappe’s resurgence as Los Blancos’ main man has inadvertently diminished 2024 Ballon d’Or runner-up Vinicius.

“He’s so dangerous. The only thing is now, he’s risen to the top and Vini Junior, who was spoken about as a Ballon d’Or winner last year until Rodri nicked it off him in the end, he’s unheard of now, isn’t he?” McManaman said. “Because Kylian is just scoring goal after goal.

“I think he suffers. Kylian’s taken that role, he takes the penalties, which Vini Junior hoovered up the year before he arrived. When you look at them, it’s Kylian who has to stay on the pitch and he looks so dangerous.

“The only thing I would say about that matter (Vini Junior’s contract), I don’t think anyone across Europe could afford him. There’s talk about Saudi Arabia, but I can’t see someone like Vini Junior at that age leaving Real Madrid.”