French football legend warns Real Madrid top star Mbappe about Vinicius

In conversation with BetVictorFrench international and Arsenal player Emmanuel Petit has warned Kylian Mbappe about Vinicius Jr., while stressing that the new number 9 at the Bernabeu will not be given time to fit in with Carlo Ancelotti's team, where he will be expected to perform immediately.

Mbappe scored his first goals for Los Blancos in a 2-0 win over Real Betis at the weekend, having previously failed to score in three games of the 2024/2025 La Liga season.

He admitted that such a dry spell was “a lot for me” and while Mbappe may not be so used to playing as a centre-forward and instead prefers the left wing, Petit warned his compatriot that he would have to get used to the role for Madrid to keep Vinicius.

“Bringing Mbappe into the team won't have been easy,” Petit noted. “You can compare it to when they bought Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United. He's a great player with a huge media presence, which brings pressure.”

“Carlo Ancelotti knows that number nine is not Mbappe's best position, but you can't rule out Vinicius Junior. He was one of the best players in the world last season and so important to the team's success. You can't tell him he has to change positions just because they just signed Mbappe – he would ask for a transfer straight away,” Petit insisted.

While Ancelotti stressed that he did not put any pressure on Mbappe to score, Petit explained that his first brace on Sunday “definitely provided some relief”.

“He and the team have had problems this season. And even in that game against Real Betis they didn't score a goal until the 67th minute.^th minute and he had missed a few chances.”

Petit described Madrid as “the biggest club in the world” and said the record Champions League winners “don't give you time to fit into the team.” Mbappe won't have that time either after his high-profile transfer in the summer from Paris Saint-Germain.

“We must not forget that Mbappe's last season at PSG was not good at all. His statistics were great, but his influence and connection with the coach, the club and the fans were very poor,” said Petit.

“He didn't play well at the European Championships either. He knows that everyone is waiting for his breakthrough, which puts him under enormous pressure. Certainly the two goals against Betis have eased that pressure, but only for this week,” added Petit.

Mbappe is currently playing for the French national team and will return to club action on September 14 for an away match against Real Sociedad.