Mbappe 2.0: The Evolution Into a No. 9 Ready to Haunt Barcelona Again

Goals are flowing freely and Kylian Mbappe has truly mastered his new position, which means he’s grabbing headlines once more before another Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu this Sunday. And you can bet the Frenchman will be hunting one of his favorite prey yet again.

The season’s first Clasico is nearly here, and the timing couldn’t be better for Mbappe – he’s arguably enjoying his most productive stretch since joining Real Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain back in summer 2024. Come Sunday, all eyes at the Bernabeu will naturally gravitate toward the French star. Sure, Lamine Yamal is the other marquee name in this fixture, but the Spanish winger’s been struggling to find his rhythm this season, unlike his French counterpart who’s absolutely thriving.

It seems Mbappe has finally cracked the code at Real Madrid. His journey as a Madridista started pretty rough, forcing him to shift from his beloved left wing to a central striker role since Vinicius Junior already had that flank locked down. Those initial months in Spain were challenging for the Bondy-born forward, but he gradually adapted to his new responsibilities and ended up claiming the Golden Boot with an impressive 44 goals across 59 appearances for Los Blancos.

But the real transformation came when Xabi Alonso took over as manager. That’s when Mbappe truly stepped into a leadership role and felt more integral to the team than ever before. Right now, alongside Harry Kane and Erling Haaland, the 26-year-old striker ranks among Europe’s most dangerous forwards – his 15 goals in merely 12 matches speak volumes. If you look at his numbers stretching from his final PSG season through his debut Madrid campaign to now, Kyky is genuinely playing the best football of his career.

This “Mbappe 2.0” isn’t quite the electric dribbler we once knew. He’s averaging 2.71 successful dribbles per match this season, down from 3.05 during his first Madrid year and 3.79 in his last PSG campaign – clearly showing how that left-wing role in Paris let him showcase more of those skills. However, this new iteration is significantly deadlier in front of goal. He’s banging in 1.2 goals per game compared to 0.78 and 0.94 in the previous two seasons respectively.

And it’s not just about quantity. The current Mbappe fires more shots on target per match, breaks the deadlock more frequently, and delivers more key passes than he managed in either of those previous campaigns. His assist numbers (0.16) are pretty close to what he produced in his last PSG season (0.21).

In La Liga specifically, Kylian Mbappe has been nothing short of sensational. He’s leading the scoring charts with 10 goals from just 9 appearances, which is remarkable. When you stack him up against other La Liga strikers, the gap is striking – he’s averaging nearly double their goals per game (1.06 versus 0.62), more assists (0.21 compared to 0.09), and leads in first goals scored, shots on target, and successful dribbles.

Where the Frenchman falls short of the striker average is counter-pressing recoveries, managing only 0.95 per game. Aerial duels aren’t really his thing either. These defensive metrics lag behind because Alonso grants him considerable freedom defensively, keeping him fresh to exploit counterattacks or capitalize in those crucial final moments of matches.

Clasico Time: Mbappe Smells Blood

Mbappe presents a serious threat to Hansi Flick’s squad ahead of Sunday’s showdown, not just because he’s in red-hot form, but because Barcelona happens to be one of his absolute favorite opponents. The French superstar has netted 11 times in eight matches against the Catalan club – making them the sixth team he’s scored most against throughout his career. That’s pretty notable considering he faced French clubs way more often during his Ligue 1 years.

Against Barcelona specifically, the Bondy native averages 1.38 goals per game. Only against Metz (1.5) does he boast a better ratio among teams he’s scored at least 10 goals against. Interestingly, the Maroons and the Cules are the only two sides Mbappe has hit with hat-tricks on multiple occasions.

Despite his prolific scoring against the Catalans though, wins have been harder to come by – just two victories alongside one draw and five losses. So this revamped version of the French striker will be eager to find the back of the net once more against Flick’s team while hopefully delivering Real Madrid their Clasico victory.