Mbappe to make Real Madrid debut as starter in UEFA Super Cup

The National Times - Mbappe to make Real Madrid debut as starter in UEFA Super Cup

SPORTS 14.08.2024

Mbappe to make Real Madrid debut as starter in UEFA Super Cup / Photo: © AFP

Kylian Mbappe will make his long-awaited Real Madrid debut in the UEFA Super Cup against Atalanta on Wednesday, with coach Carlo Ancelotti naming him in the starting line-up.

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The 25-year-old French superstar finally joined Los Blancos this summer at the end of his Paris Saint-Germain contract after the Spanish champions spent years trying to sign him.

Champions League holders Madrid face Italian side Atalanta, the Europa League winners, in Warsaw, aiming to win the Super Cup for a record sixth time.

Mbappe starts Madrid's first competitive match of the season alongside Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes in attack, with England international Jude Bellingham in support.

Madrid announced Mbappe's arrival in June but he played no part in the club's pre-season tour of the United States.

The forward helped France reach the Euro 2024 semi-finals, although he struggled after suffering a broken nose in the opening game and then netting just once, from the penalty spot, in Germany.

Mbappe was presented before over 80,000 fans at the Santiago Bernabeu in the Spanish capital on July 16 before being allowed time off, from which he returned to begin training a week ago.

"Kylian can play from the start just like everyone who is here," Ancelotti said Tuesday ahead of the match.

"He is adapting really well, he is focused and he is showing extraordinary quality."

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The National Times - Mbappe to make Real Madrid debut as starter in UEFA Super Cup