After going three league games without a goal or an assist, Kylian Mbappe proved to be the difference at the weekend, scoring a brace as Real Madrid won 2-0 against Real Betis.
It was not a classic performance from Carlo Ancelotti's side once again but the result was a positive one, and will hopefully help them find some rhythm after what has been a shaky start to the season for Los Blancos.
Mbappe must be relieved to open his La Liga goal tally. These should be the first of many to come for the French World Cup winner.
Mbappe has never made it a secret that Real Madrid are his dream club and Cristiano Ronaldo was his idol growing up. Of course, there is pressure on him to succeed in the Royal White jersey.
Mbappe has made it clear that he is not trying to be the next Ronaldo though. He is more concerned about the team and being Kylian. As tweeted by MadridXtra, the Frenchman said:
"Cristiano is my idol, but I don’t think about being the pressure of being his successor. I want to by Kylian, the only pressure I want is about me and the team."
It is almost impossible to replicate what Ronaldo achieved in a Real Madrid shirt. Of course, Mbappe is a great player but even he is not the goalscorer that the Portuguese icon was in his prime. That is just the reality of the matter.
Mbappe is still searching for his first Champions League and Ballon d'Or. Ronaldo had won both before ever pulling on the Real Madrid jersey.
On the other hand, Mbappe has been a much bigger success on the international stage. He has won one World Cup already and almost went back-to-back, losing to Argentina in the final in 2022 despite scoring a historic hattrick.'
The point is, there is no reason to compare Mbappe and Ronaldo, and put pressure on the Frenchman to replicate his idol. He has his own story to write at Real Madrid and let's just hope that it proves to be just as memorable.