Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti will be faced with a fresh dilemma regarding the starting positions of Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe. While the Brazilian has been playing that role for Los Blancos for the last few seasons, the Frenchman’s arrival has raised concerns about whether he should be playing off the left instead.
As per Spanish outlet SPORT, Real Madrid would be more accommodating to allow Kylian Mbappe to play in his preferred role rather than Vini Jr. The report adds that the club believes the former is more important to their sporting project and will cater it to his needs.
This could lead to some unrest between the pair, with Ancelotti having to make the huge decision.
Stats comparison between Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe
Prior to his headline-making move to Real Madrid, Kylian Mbappe has already been an established footballer on the international spectrum. A multiple-time league winner with clubs AS Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain and a World Cup winner with France, Mbappe arrived with a reputation.
With 256 goals and 108 assists for PSG in 308 games, along with 27 goals and 16 assists for Monaco in 60 games, Mbappe has proven his goalscoring pedigree. The 25-year-old also has 48 goals and 35 assists to his name for the French national team.
Vinicius, on the other hand, has been with Real Madrid since 2018, but only made it his team two seasons ago. As a result, his stats read much worse with 92 goals and 82 assists in 280 appearances for Los Blancos. Vini has not been nearly as good as Mbappe has for his nation, with five goals and five assists in 35 appearances so far.
Carlo Ancelotti will clearly be faced with a huge decision as to which player deserves to play off the left. While Mbappe has history with him, Vinicius Junior is the present. Having said that, let’s take a look at the stats in tabular form.
Vinicius Junior Stats
| Sr. No. | Team | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 1 | CR Flamengo | 69 | 14 | 5 |
| 2 | Real Madrid | 280 | 92 | 82 |
| 3 | Brazil | 35 | 5 | 5 |
| TOTAL | 384 | 111 | 92 |
Kylian Mbappe Stats
| Sr. No. | Team | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 1 | AS Monaco | 60 | 27 | 16 |
| 2 | Paris Saint-Germain | 308 | 256 | 108 |
| 3 | Real Madrid | 15 | 8 | 2 |
| 4 | France | 86 | 48 | 35 |
| TOTAL | 469 | 339 | 161 |
As you can see, Kylian Mbappe has clearly shown more consistency and longevity. Vinicius, on the other hand, has recently started performing at that level.
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