Real Madrid's manager and players would not have wanted the club to sign Kylian Mbappe this summer, says Emmanuel Petit. The Spanish giants are known for their high-profile signings, with Zinedine Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Gareth Bale all breaking transfer records upon their arrival in Madrid.
Despite not costing a transfer fee, expectations were high for Mbappe as he joined a team featuring Ballon d'Or runner-up Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham. However, the 25-year-old Frenchman's impact has been less than positive.
Despite scoring regularly after failing to find the net in his first three La Liga games, his presence has not improved Real's form and he has been accused of disrupting the Champions League winners - a sentiment Petit agrees with.
Related articles
"I'm sure that Carlo Ancelotti and several Real Madrid players didn't want the club to sign Kylian Mbappe in the summer," Petit told Casino Hawks.
"This was a Real Madrid dressing room who had just won La Liga and the Champions League and Mbappe's arrival has only brought trouble. Ancelotti was on top of the world after winning the Champions League, and I think he would've liked two or three players to fit into his squad, but no big changes."
While manager Ancelotti may not have been thrilled with the signing of Mbappe, according to ex-Chelsea and Arsenal player Petit, stars who now have to share the spotlight with the Frenchman might also be left disgruntled.
"When you win big trophies, you build happiness, and bringing in big egos changes things," Petit added. "The biggest problem for Mbappe is having two team-mates who also want to be the star of the show and want to win the Ballon d'Or in Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr."
However, despite the disruption that Mbappe has allegedly brought with him from PSG, Petit remains confident that he and his team will adapt as he finds his footing - though it is up to the 25-year-old to prove this.
"Kylian Mbappe has just got to show that he has the character and mental strength to put things right," Petit continued, hopeful for the French star.
"He needs to show that he can be as strong as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo mentality to find his consistency, he needs to show that he has real character and personality on the pitch."
