Mbappe and Vinicius: Kings of the Jungle Yet to Prove Themselves

Steve McManaman believes Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior remain “kings of the jungle” as individual talents – but insists Real Madrid’s star duo still haven’t proved they can win together when it matters most.

Speaking to GOAL on behalf of ESPN on Disney+, with Jose Mourinho set to take charge of his first La Liga game back in the Real Madrid dugout at Espanyol on Saturday, the former Bernabeu midfielder painted a stark picture of the expectations around the club’s new era.

Mbappe, Vini Jr and a puzzle still unsolved

Asked about Mbappe’s role alongside Vinicius and the weight on their shoulders, McManaman did not hold back.

“Off the scale,” he said of the pressure. “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.”

For McManaman, the paradox is clear. When one of Mbappe or Vinicius is missing, their dominance is obvious.

“Individually when they're suspended or one's injured or one's off the field, both of them 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 comes when the two 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 near-misses in domestic competitions as evidence that Real are not far away, but still short of the standard demanded.

“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, made their feelings clear last season.

“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 the margins are fine. The expectations are not.

“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. 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.”

Mourinho’s brief: beat Barcelona, then beat them again

For McManaman, Mourinho’s job description could not be more blunt.

“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,” he said.

Anybody, he argued, can ride the talent at Real Madrid to a respectable finish.

“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 is rooted in the trust of club president Florentino Perez and the belief that Mourinho can impose order on a dressing room packed with egos and elite talent.

“Florentino 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. Simple as that, no more no less, he just has to win.”