Real Madrid forward, Kylian Mbappe has opened up on his struggles at the club earlier in the season after joining in the summer from PSG on a free transfer.
The France captain endured a torrid time at the Santiago Bernabeu with his performances earlier in the season, which drew criticisms from the media and the club’s supporters.
During the dry spell, he scored just three times in 11 appearances, missing penalties in the clash against Liverpool in the Champions League, and Athletic Bilbao in La Liga, with Madrid losing both matches.
The 26-year-old revealed that he was at ‘rock bottom’, during the spell, citing mentality issues as the reason for the poor run.
He said: “I believe it was a mentality issue and that was a point I realised that I had to work harder.
“I was thinking too much about how to do things. Whether to go into space, whether to go to Vini’s [Vinicius Jr] area of the pitch, to Rodrygo’s area. When you overthink, you don’t focus on your game.
“I was fine physically and with the group but I knew I had to do more, that was the time to change the situation.
“I couldn’t do any worse, so when you hit rock bottom you can only go up.”
He has enjoyed an upturn in fortunes in recent weeks, scoring eight goals in his last 10 appearances in all competitions to lead Real Madrid to the top of the log.
Mbappe’s impressive form has attracted praise from Carlo Ancelotti, who described him as the best striker in the world.
“Mbappe is the best centre forward in the world.
“There were doubts about whether he could play there or whether he would be better on the left. He is a great striker, he is very good in the centre, more so than on the wing, his running is unique and he can take better advantage of it inside.”
“His (adaptation) period, which he obviously needed, because everyone needs it, is over.
“Where does Mbappe have to improve? Just in consistency … trying to make the moves that only he can make, as often as possible.”
Real Madrid will return to Champions League action against Salzburg on Wednesday, and they will be hoping to kick start their season in the competition following a poor start.
The defending champions are currently rooted to the 20th position on the log with three wins, and three defeats from six games.
Ancelotti has urged the players to win their last two games to stand a chance of qualifying for the second round of the competition.
He said: “We don’t have much chance, but the only chance we have is winning the two remaining games. If we have to play the playoff round, we’ll do our best. It’s a demanding calendar, but we’re used to it.”
The Italian manager also dispelled the reports that he will be leaving the club at the end of the season.
He said: “I won’t decide my departure date from this club.
“No. I want to be very clear. I won’t decide my departure date from this club,” Ancelotti said on Tuesday in a news conference ahead of Madrid’s Champions League game with RB Salzburg.
“I know the day will come. But when that day comes, I don’t know. I won’t decide. It could be tomorrow, after the next game, in a year, or in five years.”
“I have a target. We have Florentino [Pérez] here for another four years. He knows me well, and the target is to be here for those four years. We can live together with all the affection in the world!”
Ancelotti is Real Madrid’s most successful manager, winning three Champions League trophies, two LaLiga titles, two Copa del Reys, two Spanish Supercopas, three UEFA Super Cups, two Club World Cups, and the Intercontinental Cup in December.
