Emotional Mbappe makes dream Real start

SERGEI GAPON/ AFP

Kylian Mbappe could not have anticipated a better start to his Real Madrid career as he scored a debut goal to help his new team win the European Super Cup on Wednesday.

Mbappe fired the ball into the top corner from Jude Bellingham's pass to double Real's lead in a 2-0 victory over Atalanta.

"Before the game, we didn't even talk about (whether he would score), we just expected it to happen," man-of-the match Bellingham told reporters.

"It's a kind of player who writes his own history... Time and time again, he delivers for his team and he did it again tonight."

Mbappe, who scored 44 goals for Paris St Germain last season, clinched his first European trophy after winning seven Ligue 1 titles with PSG and Monaco.

He previously came closest to European glory in 2019-20, when PSG finished Champions League runners-up after losing the final 1-0 to Bayern Munich.

"Mbappe did really well, he adapted really well to the team," Real coach Carlo Ancelotti said.

"He combined well with Vinicius Junior and with Bellingham. Of course, we have a lot of quality, but we have to play together and we did that tonight."

After joyfully posing with his first continental silverware, Mbappe appeared overwhelmed by emotion.

"It was a great night. It's a great moment for me. And we won a title, which is important – at Madrid you always have to win," he said.

"I am very happy. And with the goal too – it is important for a striker like me. But the most important thing has been to have the pleasure of playing with this team."

Mbappe also helped Ancelotti become the coach who has brought the most major trophies to Real Madrid, the Italian levelling the tally of 14 by Miguel Munoz who managed the Spanish giants from 1948-58.

More from Sports

  • Neymar nets first goal since Santos return

    Neymar scored for the first time in 16 months after his penalty set Santos on the way to a 3-1 win over Agua Santa in the Paulista Championship on Sunday and the Brazil forward said he was happy to be playing again after a long injury absence.

  • H.H. Sheikh Mohammed attends Al Salam Cycling Championship

    His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and the Ruler of Dubai, attended the fourth stage of the Al Salam Cycling Championship, which took place on Sunday at Al Marmoom Conservation Reserve.

  • Man Utd 'can't run away' says boss Amorim after Spurs loss

    Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim insists there is no running away from the club's plight after they suffered a 1-0 loss at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, their 12th defeat in 25 Premier League games this season.

  • UAE to host FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Trophy Tour

    The UAE is the first stop on the Asian leg of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Trophy Tour with a visit scheduled for February 22-24.

  • Raducanu puts on dominant display in Dubai

    British debutant Emma Raducanu got her Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships campaign off to the perfect start, defeating former World Number 3 Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-2 under the lights on Centre Court.