Mbappe says Vinicius’ frustration shows how much he cares for Real Madrid

Kylian Mbappe says Vinicius Junior’s disappointment is understandable because the Real Madrid forward is determined to perform at his best for the club and its supporters.

Vinicius endured another subdued performance as Real Madrid beat Leipzig 4-1 at Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday in the third round of the league phase of the Champions League.

The Brazil international started the match but was replaced by manager Jose Mourinho in the 70th minute, with Yan Diomande taking his place. Diomande made an immediate impact, creating one goal and scoring another during his 20 minutes on the pitch.

Vinicius left the field with his head bowed as some Real Madrid supporters expressed their anger at his display. His form has fallen short of expectations since the beginning of the current season.

Asked about his team-mate after the match, Mbappe told Movistar: “It is OK. It is good for Vinicius to feel sad because he wants to give a lot to the team and the fans. He needs to stay calm and be proud of himself. He is a great player with a lot of talent.”

Mbappe also assessed his own contribution and admitted he believes he can offer more. In comments reported by Marca, the France international said: “I am fine. I can do more. I am one of those players who always need to make more effort. For a player like me, it is never enough.”

The victory was Real Madrid’s third in the Champions League, and Mbappe highlighted the importance of collecting points in the new league-phase format.

“We know that every point is important to reach the top eight,” he said. “We have to win as many matches as possible; we have won three matches.”

Real Madrid will now turn their attention to Sunday’s Clasico against Barcelona, but Mbappe said the squad had remained focused solely on Leipzig until the final whistle.

“We were only thinking about today’s match,” he said. “As for what will happen on Sunday, we can think about that now. Before that, the team was not thinking about Sunday’s match.”