Europe, you’ve been warned! Real Madrid remain the Champions League team to beat with Kylian Mbappe building Ballon d’Or momentum

After an underwhelming league phase, Los Blancos exploded against Manchester City to prove their continental credentials again

If there was a defining moment in Real Madrid’s romp over Manchester City, it was the beaming Kylian Mbappe wheeling away in celebration, pointing in the direction that he had just made Josko Gvardiol – by consensus one of the finest left-backs in the world – slide out of his way before bashing the ball into the back of the net. Mbappe knew he had just done something special, and he had to acknowledge it.

Of course, Mbappe has found the net 357 other times over the course of his career. Three of them came in one World Cup final. This is not a footballer unfamiliar with the big stage, or uncomfortable when he gets there. Instead, Mbappe, especially a happy Mbappe, is the ultimate big-game player. Need someone to carry your side past a struggling Manchester City and into the Champions League last 16 after an underwhelming start to the season? We have the €150 million man just for you.

On Wednesday, big-game Mbappe turned up. In some ways, his performance was a little sloppy; his passing was wayward, his touch occasionally off. But when it counted, he stood up. Five shots, five on target, three goals, Player of the Match.

More broadly, Mbappe enjoyed his first big European night in a Madrid shirt. Having fallen flat in a couple of Clasicos and been questioned for his slow start to life in Spain, here was Mbappe arriving in full, showing that with him at the centre, Los Blancos – crippled by injury and lacking their usual depth – are still Champions League favourites.

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Finishing masterclass

Each of Mbappe’s three goals showed a different side of him. The first was the direct Kylian; a sprint down the middle followed by a delicate, first-time lob. The second was the tricky winger, taking one touch away from goal before making a sharp cut past a defender and completing the job with a no-nonsense smash. And then there was the the clever striker, as he jinked onto his weaker left foot and curled an effort into the bottom corner. Three distinct goals; all one player.

It marks a sweeping change from the Mbappe that often skulked his way around Santiago Bernabeu for the opening weeks of the campaign. Early on, he showed a lack of versatility at times, and looked to be surprisingly one-dimensional. As he drifted out to the left, he tried to be his old Paris Saint-Germain self, only to find team-mates in his way. Stay in the middle, however, and he would struggle to get involved in build-up play. He did, in fairness, keep finding the net with relative regularity, which was testament to his ability in front of goal.

In general play, however, Mbappe is still much the same player that led France to World Cup glory in 2018. On some days, it’s hard to know quite where and how he has kicked on. But on Wednesday, he put in the complete performance.AFP

Doing it all

There was a clip that went viral six months ago of Luis Enrique talking to Mbappe before PSG’s Champions League quarter-final clash with Barcelona. At the time, Mbappe had made it known to the French club that he planned on leaving that summer. He was, effectively, running the clock down. Sure, there were platitudes about what he wanted to win for his Parisian people, and his desire to finish his Parc des Princes career on a high note, but there was a general sense that this was a player working within his limits – not pushing beyond them.

Luis Enrique tried to change that, with that quest embodied in one rant. He assumed, ultimately correctly, that Barcelona would throw everything into marking Mbappe out of the game. His solution? Mbappe had to defend.

“I read that you liked Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan would grab his team-mates by the balls and defend like a madman. You have to set that example first as a person and as a player. You’re a phenomenon, a world-class player. Not a doubt. But that’s not enough for me. A true leader is someone who, when you can’t help us with goals, because the other day you had two high-level players against you, you help us in everything that matters. That’s what I want you to do. As a leader here. The two games you have left. I want you to leave through the big door. Without any regrets,” Luis Enrique said.

Though PSG saw off Barca over two legs, Mbappe’s career at the club would end without Champions League success. He never really chose to put in the hard yards, either, and could be seen strolling around pitches all over Europe. On Wednesday, though, that changed.

It’s unclear whether it was the buzz of the occasion, swagger in his play, or thirst for more goals, but Mbappe harassed, hustled and harried in a manner unseen for years. He made life miserable for City’s experienced centre-half pairing of Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake, who routinely gave the ball away, and cut frightened figures as Madrid swarmed.

It was the kind of all-round performance that fans have been waiting for from Mbappe, while his goals will have undoubtedly caught the eye of the Ballon d’Or voters on what was the biggest stage of the season to date.

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Non-Galacticos stepping up

But this wasn’t just a one-man show, as Madrid were full of top performers on the night. Jude Bellingham was full of legs and trickery in centre-midfield, while Rodrygo set up one of Mbappe’s goals and turned in another industrious shift that he never seems to get credit for. But perhaps most notable was the showing of a 22-year-old who few had heard of prior to the start of the season.

Raul Asencio wasn’t supposed to be part of the Madrid set-up this year. There were three centre-backs in front of him, and at least one midfielder, Aurelien Tchouameni, who could serve as an auxiliary defender should the rest pick up knocks. Ideally, Asencio was a player who would feature occasionally in the Copa del Rey. There would probably be a transfer to a mid-table La Liga club – complete with an agreeable buy-back option – in his future. Unlike some prospects, there were no whispers that he might be an elite talent.

But injuries forced him into first-team action, and Asencio hasn’t looked back. His performances can look chaotic, as while Asencio is many things as a defender – strong, smart, hefty in a tackle – he is not subtle. He is not a Spanish centre-back with classic ‘pausa’.

Wednesday’s game, though didn’t call for that. Taking down City called for someone to dive into slides, win headers, and bring up the energy level in the stadium. Asencio did just that. He set the tone with a slide tackle early on, nudged Omar Marmoush and Savinho out of the way throughout, and even produced the superb ball over the top that led to Mbappe’s opener

Antonio Rudiger returned from a three-week injury lay-off alongside him, but it was Asencio who played like the veteran with two Champions League winners’ medals to boast. After the game, meanwhile, he summarised the Madrid mentality perfectly: “Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen next? Doesn’t matter. We’re Real Madrid.”

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City ripped apart

While Madrid’s performance was outstanding, there is also something to be said for the way City folded. Much has been made of Pep Guardiola’s side’s struggles this season, and a lot of their issues can be pinned on the fragility of Rodri’s ACL. But the problems seem to run deeper now. This is a decrepit City side, one that looked void of belief. Guardiola said that his team had a “one percent chance” of advancing into the last 16. Carlo Ancelotti – as well as anyone with a brain – pinned it down to mind games, doing what all good managers do by taking the pressure off his players.

City, though, played like they had absorbed every word of their manager’s doubts. They were frail and brittle, while Erling Haaland’s injury absence took away their ruthless cutting edge. Ilkay Gundogan looked old. Bernardo Silva – usually so valuable in these games for his ball retention and attacking nous – looked lost. Nico Gonzalez looked like the Mini-Rodri’ moniker given to him by his manager had crippled his confidence. And 20-year-old defender Abdukodir Khusanov was simply hung out to dry at right-back.

It is credit to Ancelotti and his men, though, that they smelled blood and never let up. Yes, there was the standard big-game Madrid intelligence on show, and they still dropped deeper than most teams of their calibre do in games like these. When they had the ball, though, they were equal parts ruthless and fun. Vinicius Jr was skipping around from the first minute while Bellingham teased Khusanov relentlessly. By the second half, Los Blancos were just trying things for the sake of keeping themselves engaged.

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Who can stop them?

And so we arrive at the final, inevitable, burning question: Who can keep Madrid from their 16th continental title? Liverpool might have been favoured in the first half of the season, especially after they beat Madrid at Anfield in November, but Arne Slot’s side have started to show signs of fragility. Barcelona have already beaten Madrid twice this season by an aggregate score of 9-2, but European nights seem to draw something different out of Los Blancos.

Elsewher, Bayern Munich are below their usual standards, Bayer Leverkusen have used up last year’s aura and Arsenal are now being forced to play yet another oversized centre-midfielder as their striker. Potential last-16 opponents Atletico Madrid could be a tough out for Real, but they have always previously held the edge over Diego Simeone when its come to Champions League battles.

Perhaps we all should have seen this coming. Zoom out, and this is playing out like a bogstandard Madrid season that began with a big-money summer signing, saw them initially struggle to gel before rounding into form from February onwards.

Mbappe showed on Wednesday – if only for 90 minutes – that he can be the jack-of-all-trades No.9 that Madrid have craved. They have three world-class players providing for him, and a fourth-choice centre-back who looks like a veteran of European Cup triumphs. And if all else fails, Thibaut Courtois remains one of, if not the best goalkeeper in world football.

Everyone knew Madrid had built the most talented squad in Europe; it was always just a question of piecing it together. Unsurprisingly, they’re doing just that at just the right time.