Predrag Mijatovic questions leadership status of Mbappe and Vinicius

Predrag Mijatovic believes Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior’s goalscoring exploits for Real Madrid do not automatically make them the true leaders the team needs on the pitch.

The former striker and sporting director praised their output but argued that leadership is about far more than stats or highlight moments.

“Mbappe came here to score goals, and he’s doing just that. Vinicius has had good seasons and steps up in big games, though he was unlucky the other day,” Mijatovic said, before stressing that the Brazilian “will have to change his attitude” – a point he says has led some to accuse him of being against the player. He insisted that does not diminish Vinicius’ importance, only that Real Madrid still “lacks a leader on the field.”

Mijatovic pointed to past examples to make his case. “The top scorer isn’t always the leader,” he noted, recalling how Zinedine Zidane was France’s best player while Didier Deschamps acted as the real on-field general. He namechecked figures like Fernando Hierro, Sergio Ramos and Raúl as the kind of personalities Madrid currently miss, “a coach on the field” who can pull everything together and demand more when standards drop.