Set for a summer transfer to Spanish giants, Real Madrid, Kylian Mbappe once again showed that he isn’t the man for the big occasion as he failed to find the target against Borussia Dortmund in Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League semi-final second leg.
Peerless for France whenever he plays for the national team, the 25-year-old hit-man has often struggled in club games when the pressure is on and everything is on the line.
Dortmund held a one-goal lead from the first leg of the tie, but in front of the home support at the Parc des Princes, Mbappe and his colleagues might’ve been expected to mount a swift comeback.
Mbappe was anonymous against Dortmund
Whilst it’s true that the hosts rattled the woodwork on a number of occasions, PSG’s finishing was dismal – and Mbappe is included in that.
For all of the talk of him being the best in the world, he often comes up short.
Alongside Man City’s Erling Haaland, there’s a notion that the pair can take over the mantle that once belonged to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, but Mbappe isn’t in that class yet – and perhaps never will be.
Messi and Ronaldo shone in the big games and were often the difference makers. Mbappe is a shell of the player he can be when the pressure is on.
He wasn’t helped on Tuesday evening by his team-mates who were wasteful in possession and found it difficult to carve out chances against a resolute Dortmund back line.
Once Mbappe’s transfer to Real Madrid is formally announced a new era will begin for the Frenchman, but it needs to be a damn sight better than what he’s produced in the French capital in the biggest games.
For all of his excellence at international level, he won’t want to be labelled a failure at club level.
