11 September 2026

Kylian Mbappe has begun the new season in excellent touch for Real Madrid, finding the net five times in his first five matches.

The France forward has carried on from where he finished last season, with no visible decline in his scoring output, and he might have had another goal as well had he not missed a penalty against Real Betis.

The 27-year-old star has now answered criticism over what he brings to Real Madrid, making it clear that his ability to score should never be viewed as an issue.

Mbappe’s reasoning is straightforward: the basic aim in football is to score more than the opposition, and for that reason goalscoring can never be considered a problem.

Speaking in an interview with L’Equipe, as quoted by Mundo Deportivo, Mbappe addressed the matter directly and spoke openly about criticism of his defensive work and the constant scrutiny that follows him.

The Real Madrid attacker feels that people have become so used to his output in the final third that the focus naturally moves to the areas where he offers less.

“Is it normal that people forget my goals and focus on the defensive work? No, but that is the life of someone who has been close to excellence for 10 years. I am not new to this. Everyone knows what I can do,” Mbappe said.

“It is human to look at what someone does not do. When someone has been doing something for 10 years, we stop looking at it because we know he can do it, so we look at what he is not doing. I do not take it personally.”

Mbappe has set such high standards for himself that scoring regularly can almost start to feel normal. Even so, it is worth remembering just how extraordinary that consistency really is.

Mbappe was even more emphatic when responding to suggestions that his goals do not always lead to collective success.

“It makes no sense. If I do not score goals, they are going to ask me why I am not scoring,” he said.

“As a footballer, I have learned that there are millions of coaches in every match you play, and not all of those coaches are happy. Everyone has an opinion, but in football the objective is to score more goals than the opponent.”

He then delivered his clearest statement on the subject.

“A player who scores goals will never be the problem of a team, because no team has ever won titles without scoring goals.”

It is not easy to argue against Mbappe’s point.

Even if people say “attack wins you games, defence wins you tournaments”, the reality is that you cannot win matches without scoring, and you cannot win tournaments without first winning matches.

Real Madrid can still ask for greater collective effort from all players, especially under Jose Mourinho, without acting as though elite goalscoring is somehow of lesser importance.

The true challenge lies in striking the right balance.

Madrid need Mbappe to remain ruthless in front of goal while also fitting into the team’s pressing and defensive framework. Those two demands do not have to cancel each other out.

If anything, Mourinho’s job is to create a system that protects Mbappe’s greatest strength while also making Madrid more difficult to play against.

Mbappe’s goals are not, and never will be, the problem. The responsibility lies with the manager to maximise those strengths within a setup that also maintains the side’s defensive structure.