Xabi Alonso has denied that Kylian Mbappé is “anxious” to win the Champions League with Real Madrid this season, having missed out on winning the trophy in his career to date.
Mbappé joined Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain last summer, with PSG then going on to win the competition last season for the first time in the club’s history.
Madrid meanwhile were eliminated by Arsenal in the quarterfinals, 5-1 on aggregate, although Mbappé performed well overall, scoring 44 goals in all competitions in 2024-25.
“He’s not anxious, no,” Alonso said in a news conference on Monday ahead of Madrid’s game with Marseille, when asked if Mbappé’s failure to lifting the Champions League was weighing on the player’s mind.
“We all feel that this is a project which is just starting, and one of the objectives at Madrid is winning the Champions League. Let’s hope it’s sooner rather than later. But we haven’t spoken about May yet.”
Madrid have started Alonso’s debut season in charge well, winning all four games in LaLiga so far — after reaching the semifinals at the Club World Cup in the summer — with Mbappé scoring four goals.
“I was optimistic [about Mbappe’s form],” Alonso said. “Kylian’s Club World Cup was a bit ‘light’ because he had gastroenteritis. We’re getting to know each other. Now you see the player he is. He understands football. We need him, and we need the collective quality of the group.”
Alonso said Mbappé was “without doubt” one of the team’s leaders, in the forward’s second season at the Bernabéu.
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“With his personality, his experience, the influence he has on the rest, he’s one of them,” Alonso said. “When that group is consolidated and strong, the others know where they have to look.”
“Last year Kylian scored a lot of goals,” midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni added. “And he’s still doing that this season. But as a team we’re also improving. Kylian is at an incredible level, and we know with him we have more of a chance of winning games.”
Madrid face a tough league phase in the Champions League, with Tuesday’s home game against Marseille followed by a long trip to Kairat Almaty in Kazakhstan, and then matches with Juventus and Liverpool.
