Kylian Mbappé isn’t losing any sleep over Barcelona’s barnstorming start to the 2026/27 season — and he made that crystal clear in a new interview this week. Asked directly about the Blaugrana’s relentless early-season form, the Real Madrid superstar kept his cool and refused to be drawn into the hype.
What Mbappé Said
Speaking to Diario AS on Thursday, Mbappé was asked for his thoughts on the spectacular form Hansi Flick’s Barcelona side have shown since the opening whistle of the campaign. His answer? Calm, measured, and very deliberate. “Barça have started strongly? Good for them. I don’t like talking about other teams because I am not there. They’re winning games, but it’s the beginning of the season.” Short, sharp, and straight to the point — exactly what you’d expect from a player focused entirely on his own team’s objectives.
The comment came on the back of yet another dominant Barcelona performance on Wednesday evening, when they welcomed Racing Santander to the Spotify Camp Nou and left them in ruins — 7-2 was the final scoreline, a result that underlined just how free-scoring Flick’s side have been through the early weeks of the season. That victory made it seven wins from seven across all competitions, with Barça averaging nearly five goals per game in the process. As things stand, they also hold a three-point lead over Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.
What It Means for Real Madrid
From a Madridista perspective, there’s actually something reassuring about Mbappé’s response. Whether it’s tactical mind games, genuine indifference, or simply a player channelling all his competitive energy inward, this is not someone rattled by noise from the other side of El Clásico. Real Madrid have always thrived on using adversity and outside pressure as fuel, and the last thing supporters want to see is a player getting distracted by rivals’ results — even when those results are as eye-catching as Barcelona’s have been.
The broader context matters here too. Barcelona have historically been capable of lighting up the early weeks of a season before the campaign’s true demands take their toll. A seven-game sample, however impressive, is not the whole story. La Liga is a marathon, not a sprint, and Real Madrid — with their squad depth, experience, and culture of performing on the biggest stages — know better than most that titles are rarely decided before October. Mbappé’s “beginning of the season” comment carries a subtle but pointed reminder of exactly that.
For Mbappé personally, this season carries enormous significance. Having arrived at the Bernabéu to considerable fanfare, the Frenchman will be eager to build on his first campaign in white and truly stamp his identity on this team. His focus appearing locked entirely on what happens in the Madrid dressing room, rather than on Barcelona’s highlights reel, is a mindset that should give supporters genuine confidence.
What’s Next
With a three-point gap already opening up in La Liga, Real Madrid know they can’t afford too many slip-ups if they want to keep the title race tight heading into the business end of the season. Every point dropped will feel magnified while Barcelona are in this kind of form, and the pressure on Carlo Ancelotti’s side to match their rivals’ consistency will only grow in the coming weeks.
But if Mbappé’s attitude is anything to go by, Madrid aren’t going to be spooked. The man simply does not appear interested in entertaining the idea that the title race is already tilting away from the Bernabéu — and in this club’s history, that kind of belief has almost always been a dangerous thing for rivals to underestimate.
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