Kylian Mbappe, a rising soccer star, has fallen off his game.

Kylian Mbappe, who is supposed to be one of the best strikers in the world, is underperforming at one of the best teams in Europe, Real Madrid, and is struggling to score goals. He was at his peak performance in the 2022 World Cup, held in Qatar, and he took his team through the tournament as a captain and got them to the final, where, despite scoring a hat trick, his team lost to a strong Argentinian squad.

Mbappe, a 23-year-old French striker, first started playing professionally on AS Monaco when he was 16 years old. At the age of 19 he became the world’s youngest world cup goal scorer. Mbappe scored in the final against Croatia where they won 4-2 and won his team a World Cup. He has been a very important player for the French national team, scoring 46 goals in 77 games.

At Real Madrid, Mbappe makes $36 million per year, including his salary and signing bonus. Mbappe’s contract lasts until 2029.

D’ari Coddington, a professional soccer player in Bermuda, claims Mbappe’s performance has been the result of a lot of pressure.

“Kylian Mbappe’s underperformance at Real Madrid could possibly stem from the immense pressure and expectations placed on him from signing to one of the world’s biggest clubs,” D’ari, a 10th grader at Williston, said. “Mentally this could be one of the factors that can be affecting his confidence.”

In Bermuda, D’ari plays for the Devonshire Cougars, who play in the Bermudian Premier Division, and he also plays for the U17 Bermuda National team as a captain.

Luis Gene Creel, a supporter of Real Madrid’s rival team, Barcelona, thinks Mbappe is still getting used to the team.

“I think he is dealing with pressure and he still adapting to La Liga and the team,” he said

Dylan Matamala, a supporter of Real Madrid, believes the competition in the French league is much lower.

“Personally, I think Kylian Mbappe is underperforming at Madrid for two reasons,” he said. “First, the sudden change from the French league to the Spanish league may be affecting his play due to the skill level and competitiveness one may see in each league.”

He also stated that Mbappe is not the main star on the team now because he was one of the best on PSG (Paris Saint-Germaine) in France.

This season for Real Madrid he played 23 games and has 16 goals and assists. Last season in the French league with PSG he played 49 games and had 56 G/A.