Edu Aguirre warns about Mbappé and Xabi Alonso's Madrid: 'I'm in charge here'

Xabi Alonso's arrival as the new coach of Real Madrid brings many changes to Santiago Bernabéu locker room. One of the most noticeable is the modification of the rules of conduct and the pursuit of greater discipline and motivation for the Merengue footballers next season. The Basque coach wants to get back on the winning track as soon as possible.

One of the footballers who would be key in these efforts is Kylian Mbappé. The "9" in white has established himself as one of Carlo Ancelotti's best pupils during the 24/25 season, but with Xabi Alonso he could "rise" to another level. Edu Aguirre may have revealed it on "El Chiringuito de Jugones": "he's not the one who's always going to lead the locker room", the journalist points out.

"Now, what we want on the field is for him to be what he's been. Because Capi talks about pressure, maybe, but at 20 years old he was taking four penalty kicks in the World Cup final. At 18, 180 million euros were paid from Monaco to PSG, so this kid has been living with pressure since he was 15 years old" without interruptions.

His early start in elite soccer is the main reason why Kylian Mbappé, according to Edu Aguirre, is fully prepared to withstand the pressure that comes with Real Madrid. "I think it's a matter of which great player at Real Madrid in their first year has performed at 100%. I think it's a combination of his form" due to his lack of preseason preparation and the broken nose at Euro 2024 "and the team's level".

No doubts

Edu Aguirre points out that "the team's level has been poor, that's why it's been hard for Mbappé to adapt. Until he arrived and it was 'hey, I'm in charge here' on the field". That issue of Kylian Mbappé's predominance, according to Josep Pedrerol, would be called into question with Xabi Alonso's arrival on the home bench at Santiago Bernabéu this season.

Edu Aguirre believes, however, that this dynamic, which has been kept in place since the last months of competition, will definitely be extended under the tactical command of the Tolosa coach. Kylian Mbappé may have shown he's ahead of Vinícius in some key moments this season, a trend that Xabi Alonso hasn't overlooked in his analyses of the past soccer season.

That's why Edu Aguirre believes that the new leader of Xabi Alonso's sports project will be Kylian Mbappé. The example of the penalty kicks will be the most illustrative regarding the decision of a coach who begins his time at Real Madrid under pressure because of the Club World Cup. That tournament organized by FIFA is a must-win in the Valdebebas offices and would mean a fantastic start to the Tolosa coach's era at the helm of the locker room.

Meanwhile, as the matches of the group stage of the international summer competition approach, the debates about the composition of the new Real Madrid will continue. Especially with proposals like the one made by Edu Aguirre, who believes that Kylian Mbappé will dethrone Vinícius from his position as the team's sports leader starting this summer.