Kylian Mbappé scored his 19th career World Cup goal against Paraguay, edging closer to Lionel Messi's all-time tournament record. He has already surpassed Brazilian legend Ronaldo Nazário and German icon Miroslav Klose on the all-time scoring charts. France survived a gritty Paraguay side to reach the quarterfinals, but the performance raised familiar concerns for Real Madrid fans.

While winning is what matters most, Madridistas are a demanding bunch. After two trophy-less seasons at Real Madrid—while his former club PSG lifted back-to-back Champions League titles—expectations are high for Mbappé to deliver in 2026/27.

Goals against weaker sides like Iraq and Sweden won't impress the Bernabéu faithful. Against Paraguay's low block—the kind of deep, organized defense Mbappé often faces in La Liga—the same issues resurfaced. He drifted to the periphery too often, missed clear chances, and fluffed a breakaway crafted by Mike Maignan, even getting away with a handball in the process.

Mbappé has been one of the standout players of this World Cup and has shown strong leadership for France. But Real Madrid fans have seen this script before: he excels against open sides and on the international stage, yet struggles against stubborn, physical defenses. Compared to Madrid legends like Cristiano Ronaldo, Raúl, and Karim Benzema, Mbappé still has ground to cover.

To reach that level, he must learn to dominate against low blocks—be smarter with his movement, more active off the ball, and better at involving teammates rather than crowding them out, as he did at times with Ousmane Dembélé. Complaining about Paraguay's tactics won't win over Madridistas, nor will scraping by. He needs to put these teams to the sword just as emphatically as he does weaker opponents.

Had it not been for a debatable penalty—earned when Désiré Doué appeared to seek contact in the box—France might have fallen to a Paraguay side that the United States had dismantled with ease earlier in the tournament.