And that was all for Real Madrid in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. The journey of greatness officially came to an end for the Kings of Europe as Xabi Alonso and Co. endured a surprising 4-0 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain in the semifinals. While the score line continues to become a matter of subject among the community, the negative spotlight has been shifted towards Kylian Mbappe.

As much excellence as there was in the highly anticipated clash between these two titans, the focus remained firmly on the French international. A bombastic side-eye was likely all that Mbappe received on the pitch as he faced his former team, which showed no mercy to their ex-prodigy or his teammates. And for former France international Frank Leboeuf, it’s not Real Madrid but actually Kylian himself who needs a reality check.

“Oh, no, of course not,” began the ESPN FC broadcaster on the post-game show, insisting it wasn’t a good day at the office for the 26-year-old. “And that’s just a confirmation that what happened with Mbappe is the result of the ‘Mbappe behavior.’ What he was doing with Paris Saint-Germain did not allow Paris to win the Champions League. And we have to say the truth.”

The former Marseille star insisted that even if one ignores such negatives while trying to consider the positives, many would agree that he doesn’t do enough. In fact, Frank believes that he was the problem for PSG after all, but now seems to be the one for Los Blancos, as since signing for them, things haven’t exactly gone the way he planned they would.

“He doesn’t do the job [For Real Madrid] like he didn’t when he was at PSG,” added Frank Leboeuf, noting that if the former Monaco star ends up losing the ball, he has a role to play defensively. Yet that was something he hardly did while playing for the Parisians, making it obvious to many that things wouldn’t go in his favor—just as he is suffering today at Madrid.

“That guy has to wake up, really, because he’s a fantastic player, but that’s not enough to consider that he’s having a good career,” remarked the ESPN FC analyst. In fact, for Frank, Mbappe winning the Pichichi trophy for the 2024-25 season, though is a great achievement, he yet finds it “insane” how the France skipper lacks work ethic.

Ouch, this is quite a rude awakening for Kylian Mbappe, who certainly hasn’t impressed many In fact, somehow he has ended up proving his former Paris Saint-Germain boss correct, that he indeed is the problem.

Is Kylian Mbappe sealing his own fate at Real Madrid?

“Next year we’ll be better, without doubt,” remarked Luis Enrique, even after it was confirmed that Kylian Mbappe was leaving Parc des Princes for a dream Real Madrid move. The result? PSG won their first-ever Champions League in a remarkable fashion. And Mbappe? Potentially replaying a memory inside his head of why he should have listened to his ex-coach.

For those wondering, back in PSG, Enrique had asked Mbappe multiple times to focus on defending when off the possession. The former FC Barcelona coach even cited the example of Michael Jordan, someone who Mbappe deeply admires, describing the NBA icon as someone who “would grab his teammates by the b*lls and start defending with them like a son of a b***h.”

Enrique wanted Mbappe to set this very example in the PSG dressing room, asking him to be the first one to press on the field. This was noticed in Luis Enrique’s documentary No Tenéis Ni Puta Idea, where the Spanish tactician was seen explaining the French superstar with passion, while the background showcased a projection of last year’s UCL clash between PSG and Barcelona.

Luis urged Mbappe to press the Catalan backline, not letting them advance. All of this for what? “To be a leader,” before the 55-year-old added, “You think that you only have to score goals. Of course, you are a world phenomenon, a top-class player. No doubt about it. But that doesn’t work for me.”

Again, why? Because in Enrique’s books, a true leader is someone who may not help his team score goals but does everything related to defensive tasks. Simply, be the “Best player in the history of defending,” because, “That’s a leader. That’s Michael Jordan!”

However, Mbappe acknowledging Enrique’s words by just responding “Si” makes it evident that to this day, he hasn’t applied these words in his gameplay. And the result is in front of him, as he indeed should buckle up, otherwise, he’s gonna be in some serious trouble.