Former France international Emmanuel Petit has sensationally claimed that Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti and several players did not want to sign Kylian Mbappe in the summer.
Mbappe, 25, joined Real Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain after a protracted transfer saga, but has struggled to find consistency, scoring eight goals in 16 games. Reports suggest he would prefer to play on the left wing, but Vinicius Jr occupies that position, and Ancelotti is said to have no plans to prioritise the Frenchman over the Brazilian.
Petit, a former Chelsea and Barcelona player, believes Ancelotti would not have wanted to make major changes to his squad, which had just won the Champions League and La Liga trophies. “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.
“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. When you win big trophies you build happiness and bringing in big egos changes things.”
Petit also believes Mbappe faces a challenge to establish himself at Real Madrid, with teammates Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr also vying for stardom. “The biggest problem for Mbappe is having two teammates who also want to be the star of the show and want to win the Ballon d’Or,” Petit said.
Real Madrid play Leganes in La Liga this weekend, with the club currently second in the Spanish top-flight, six points behind leaders Barcelona.
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