Liverpool dodged a bullet with Kylian Mbappe: The superstar forward has undoubtedly made Real Madrid worse

The image is ubiquitous at this point. A young Kylian Mbappe sits on his bed, leaning against a wall, surrounded by pictures of Cristiano Ronaldo. Here’s Ronaldo controlling the ball with his chest, here’s Ronaldo holding up the golden boot. And in all of them – every single one – Ronaldo is dressed in Real Madrid white.

It was an innocent snap at the time for a kid who loved football. Since then, however, it has become symbolic of something greater. Ever since he was a child, Mbappe has wanted to play for Madrid. This picture is perfect proof that the French forward’s summer transfer to the Spanish capital was a divine right – a move that was always going to be made.

But that child’s imagination, now that it has actually come to life, is far from the perfect story. Mbappe was supposed to be the last piece of the Madrid team, the blade that could make Europe’s most dominant team almost unstoppable. The reality has been exactly the opposite.

Madrid are confused, their players are no longer quite on the same page. The fluidity is missing, the connection is gone. Mbappe, Paris Saint-Germain’s all-time leading scorer and a consensus top-three player in the world, has made this team worse.