Kylian Mbappe for Real Madrid? The France captain pulled on the famous white jersey of the Spanish champions for the first time in a competitive match and marked the occasion with the second goal in a 2-0 win over Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup.
Mbappe, who started and played 82 minutes at the National Stadium in Warsaw, met a pass from Jude Bellingham across the area with a shot into the top corner in the 68th minute.
«He is inevitable,» Bellingham said of Mbappe.
«It's a big step for him — people have been talking about him coming here for a long time — and it feels like he's been here for a while.»
After putting both arms across his chest for his trademark celebration, Mbappe was congratulated by Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo, the other members of Madrid's star-studded strike force that might be sending tremors around European soccer heading into the new season.
Federico Valverde tapped home a cross from Vinicius in the 59th to set Madrid on its way to a record sixth victory in the Super Cup, the annual match between the Champions League winners (Madrid) and the Europa League champions (Atalanta).
Madrid is used to holding records — no team has more European Cup titles than its 15 — and owning the world's best players.
Mbappe certainly belongs in that category and it was a strong start to life at the world's top soccer club, one he dreamt of playing for as a kid before fulfilling that reality by moving from Paris Saint-Germain after a drawn-out saga.
Now he is Madrid's No. 9 and started the Super Cup as the