In the UEFA Super Cup clash against Atalanta on Wednesday, Kylian Mbappe scored on his eagerly anticipated Real Madrid debut, giving Carlo Ancelotti’s team a 2-0 lead.
After years of attempts by the Spanish champions to sign him, the 25-year-old French sensation eventually signed with Los Blancos this summer, after his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expired.
Following a silent first half, Mbappe finished expertly in the 68th minute after Jude Bellingham had set him up.
Fede Valverde had fired Champions League holders Madrid ahead against the Italian Europa League winners in Warsaw as the Spanish giants bid to win the Super Cup for a record sixth time.
Mbappe started Madrid’s first competitive match of the season in the centre of the attack, with Vinicius Junior on the left and Rodrygo Goes to his right, with England international Bellingham offering support from a midfield role.
The French forward had a shot blocked by Isak Hien in the first half as he struggled to get heavily involved but made no mistake when Bellingham teed him up.
Madrid announced Mbappe’s arrival in June but he played no part in the club’s pre-season tour of the United States.
The forward helped France reach the Euro 2024 semi-finals, although he struggled after suffering a broken nose in the opening game and then netting just once, from the penalty spot, in Germany.
Mbappe was presented before over 80,000 fans at the Santiago Bernabeu in the Spanish capital on July 16 before being allowed time off, from which he returned to begin training a week ago.
