Can Mbappé Take Down His Future Club in Club World Cup Semi-final?

Kylian Mbappé is no stranger to the big stage. But tonight, when he walks onto the pitch for PSG in the FIFA Club World Cup semi-final, the stakes will be more personal than ever. 

He’s up against the club he’s widely expected to join Real Madrid and this might be his last chance to spoil their party before he dons their famous white shirt.

For Real Madrid, this isn’t just another semi-final. It’s a shot at equaling one of the club’s most remarkable records 46 wins in a single season. 

The last time they hit that number was during the 2011–12 and 2013–14 campaigns. Now, under the guidance of Xabi Alonso, Los Blancos have bounced back from a trophyless domestic season with renewed energy in the Club World Cup. 

One more win tonight would not only match their record but also push them closer to lifting a trophy in a year many fans had written off.

But standing in their way is Mbappé and PSG, of course.

It’s an awkward situation for the French superstar. After missing the first few games of the tournament due to illness, Mbappé made his return in the quarter-final, scoring against Borussia Dortmund. 

Though he hasn’t started many matches in this campaign, his fitness and sharpness seem to be returning just in time. The question now is: will he start against Madrid? And if he does, can he be the one to knock them out?

Real Madrid’s attack, meanwhile, is bursting with options. Breakout star Gonzalo Garcia has lit up the tournament, scoring four goals in five matches. There’s also Vinicius Jr., still dangerous, and of course, Mbappé himself Madrid’s top scorer this season despite the late start. 

Xabi Alonso now faces a tactical headache: how to fit them all in. Reports suggest he might unleash all three, creating a three-man frontline that could terrify any defence including PSG’s.

There’s also poetic tension to this match. Mbappé has spent years at the centre of Real Madrid transfer rumours. Now, just before what many believe will be his official move to the Bernabéu, he faces them as a rival. Does he go out with PSG in a blaze of glory, making Madrid suffer one last time? Or does fate have other plans, with his future teammates proving too strong?

Either way, the storylines are thick: Madrid chasing history, Alonso chasing his first major title as a coach, Gonzalo Garcia trying to hold on to his starting spot, and Mbappé perhaps caught in the strangest of positions trying to take down the very club that’s about to become his new home.