Ovation for Mbappé… at first, then whistles

Mbappé is the player most desired by Real Madrid. His name was on everyone’s lips last summer, 2019, when the Bernabéu opened its doors to welcome the new white signings. But Tonight Kylian visited the Santiago Bernabéu as a rival. And not for any duel. It was not the first leg in the 2018 round of 16, where the return leg was still left. Nor was the 2019 group stage so important, when he scored the first of PSG’s two goals. This was a toss-up match in which Mbappé could be the team’s executioner.

That will only be known at the end of 90 minutes (or 120), but before the heat of the match made him one of the number 1 public enemies of the Bernabéu, there were two moments for the plebiscite. In the first, when PSG went out to warm up, they won the whistles aimed at the entire French team. If someone unchecked to chant Kylian’s name, his shout was drowned out by whistles. Yes, he received the affection of Real Madrid Keylor Navas when he greeted the public. The stands started with a standing ovation and applause and ended with acclamation for the goalkeeper of the three consecutive Champions Leagues.

The second, when the line-ups were announced over the loudspeaker. Mbappé made his way through the widespread whistles to the entire eleven of PSG. The French striker received brief but intense applause. A sign that the Bernabéu will receive him with open arms when the time comes. The whistle gained in decibels when Messi’s name was announced and experienced two new parentheses with more timid applause for Keylor and Di María. With the game already started, not even Mbappé had a truce and the widespread whistles against PSG, not too loud yet, also reached him when Kylian touched it.

This will be the fifth game in which Mbappé faces Real Madrid and his third visit to the Bernabéu with the Parisian team’s shirt. All matches as a PSG player. In the aforementioned first leg of the 2018 round of 16, they were defeated 3-1 and Madrid also won (1-2) in the second leg in Paris. The striker did not score in that tie. He did do it on his other visit to the Bernabéu, in that group stage in November 2019 and also three weeks ago in the first leg of the tie that is now in the running.

The vast majority of the more than 60,000 who watch the match at the Bernabéu dream that the next time they step on that pitch, they will do so with the Madrid shield on their chest.