McManaman on Mbappe and Vinicius: Kings of the Jungle but No Trophies
Steve McManaman believes Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior remain “kings of the jungle” on their own – but insists Real Madrid must finally turn that individual brilliance into trophies under Jose Mourinho.
Speaking to GOAL on behalf of ESPN on Disney+, with Mourinho set to take charge of his first La Liga game back at the helm when Real visit Espanyol on Saturday, the former Madrid midfielder delivered a blunt assessment of the current situation at the Bernabeu.
Mbappe and Vinicius: Brilliant alone, blunt together
“Off the scale,” McManaman said when asked about the pressure on Mbappe and his partnership with Vinicius. Then came the caveat.
“It's strange sort of, it's not a criticism, it's just the pieces don't fit together at the moment of Madrid, that's all it is.”
On their own, he sees two unstoppable forces.
“Individually when they're suspended or one's injured or one's off the field, both of them [Mbappe and Vini Jr] are the kings of the jungle, they're the best players on the pitch, they're the ones who really stand out and look like incredible superstar players.”
The problem, in his eyes, comes when the pair share the stage.
“But when they're together, what has shown over the last couple of years is that they haven't won anything and if you follow Real Madrid, you follow La Liga, you know it’s either win or it's a disaster. When Barcelona are winning everything else and beating you in finals along the way, it is a disaster.”
Close calls aren’t enough at Real Madrid
McManaman pointed to a string of near-misses that have done nothing to ease the pressure.
“They've come very close in Copa del Rey games, in the Super Cup, losing last-minute goals, missing chances but you have to get over the line and when it's Barcelona who have also strengthened, that's when it starts to get precarious,” he said.
The supporters, he stressed, have already made their feelings clear.
“You know the fans let it be known on a number of occasions last year about the team - even though they finished second and went down fighting to a Bayern Munich team in the Champions League and I thought the performance against them was good.”
So this is not a broken side, in his view. Just one missing a decisive spark.
“So they're not far away, but they just need a little bit of powder, a little bit of special magic and whether Jose brings that or whether the new signings bring it, we'll wait and see.”
Mourinho’s mandate: beat Barcelona, then beat them again
If there was any doubt about Mourinho’s job description, McManaman stripped it away.
“We all hope it's going to be a magnificent year and I think it will be and I think there'll be fireworks and I think it'll be great as well with Rodri signing for Barcelona - that just chucks another superstar into the mix.”
The rivalry has been reignited. Mourinho, he says, has one clear mission.
“But it doesn't matter, Jose's been brought in to finish Barcelona, to beat Barcelona and beat Barcelona again and again and again and that's all it is.”
McManaman was ruthless about the standards at the Bernabeu.
“Anybody can go into Real Madrid today, you could go in and finish second, I could go in and finish second, what they've been doing and letting the superstars run the show, but Jose's been brought in for a reason.”
That reason? Absolute trust from the president and an expectation that he will impose order on a dressing room full of stars.
“Florentino [Perez] trusts him, he believes that he can get the best out of whoever it is, control the egos, whatever the dressing room says - I don't think it's as bad as it's being portrayed because there's always egos in that dressing room and they're all very professional, but it's up to Jose to get over the line.”
McManaman did not dress it up, did not soften the demand.
“Simple as that, no more no less, he just has to win.”
