A former Liverpool striker, Stan Collymore, has issued a warning to Kylian Mbappe as the French star joins Real Madrid.
Drawing from his own experience as a high-profile signing at Liverpool, Collymore advised Mbappe to approach his new role with humility.
Collymore, who was once a British record transfer to Liverpool, shared his insights with CaughtOffside on Thursday.
He stressed the importance of Mbappe navigating the dressing room dynamics carefully, stating, “They (Real Madrid players) won’t really care that he (Mbappe) was a Real Madrid fan as a kid or that he had Cristiano Ronaldo posters on his wall.”
The former striker recalled his experiences at Liverpool, where he faced challenges integrating with the team.
“When I went to Liverpool, there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind whatsoever that within two or three weeks of signing and after all the happy, clapping, ‘hey, how you doing, do you want to come out with us for a beer and be our friend?’ kind of thing, that my team-mates thought I was some big-time Charlie,” Collymore revealed.
He warned Mbappe about the potential pitfalls of being perceived as arrogant or entitled.
“Kylian Mbappe, who has been top dog and massively overindulged for so long, will have to fall in line fairly quickly, be humble and say the right things. If he doesn’t, there’ll only be problems down the road,” Collymore said.
Collymore highlighted the challenges faced by high-profile signings in adapting to new team environments. He suggested that despite Mbappe’s status as a World Cup winner and global superstar, he need to earn respect within the Real Madrid squad.
“Players like Dani Carvajal have been there, seen it, got the t-shirt, and so there’ll be two or three that will be looking at him and seeing how he is in the dressing room,” Collymore said.
