For years, Kylian Mbappé was Real Madrid's great desire. Florentino Pérez wanted him as the top-tier of the 21st century.
A media-driven, multimillion-dollar signing loaded with expectations and finally, in 2024, they got him. Mbappé arrived at Bernabéu as a global star, ready to mark an era, but not everything has gone as imagined in the capital.
Mbappé has shown flashes of his quality, his speed, his instinct, his imbalance, but he has also left doubts. He doesn't always connect with the team. Sometimes he seems off, disconnected, out of place, he hasn't been the perfect signing they wanted.
In Barcelona They Don't Envy Him
In the Barça environment, the fear existed, it was logical. Seeing Mbappé dressed in white was unsettling, no one doubts his talent, but over time, that feeling has changed. Now, in Barcelona, many breathe a sigh of relief.
Not just the fans. Also Joan Laporta. Barça's president already said it in 2024, when the signing was confirmed:
"I don't envy Real Madrid signing Kylian Mbappé, he's going to distort their locker room."
Words that, at the time, sounded like provocation. But today, they sound like a fulfilled warning.
An Unbalanced Locker Room
What Laporta feared seems to be happening, Mbappé has arrived with an astronomical salary. Far above the rest. That, in any locker room, generates tensions and more so in one as competitive as Madrid's.
Some players don't see him as a leader. Others don't understand his attitude in certain matches and the coach, although he defends him publicly, knows it's not easy to fit him into the system. Mbappé is not the problem, but he hasn't been the solution either.
Laporta and His Vision of Balance
Laporta has always defended a united locker room, without big egos that break the group's dynamic. He learned it with Ronaldinho, with Messi, with Guardiola. Talent adds up, but balance is key.
That's why his phrase in 2024 was no coincidence. It was a clear message: Barça wasn't going to mortgage itself for a star that could break the group and today, the facts prove him right.
What Now?
Mbappé is still a top player, no one doubts it. He can decide matches in a second, but he isn't being the leader they expected. The signing that was supposed to mark an era, for now, is generating more questions than answers.
Meanwhile, at Camp Nou, they look on with some tranquility. Barça has its own, with young players like Lamine Yamal, Pedri, or Gavi leading the future. Without Mbappé, but with excitement, Laporta said it and time, for now, is proving him right.