Real Madrid’s Mbappé returns to face PSG in Club World Cup Semi-Final

Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe will look for revenge against his former club PSG as the two teams prepare to play in the semi-final of the Club World Cup. Madrid have eased their way into the semi-finals of the tournament and have won all five games that they have so far played under new manager Xabi Alonso. Winning the Club World Cup will add some pride to Madrid’s 2024-25 season which was largely frustrating by their standards as they failed to win the Champions League and La Liga. This prompted the club to replace Carlo Ancelotti with Alonso who joined from Bayer Leverkusen. 

Mbappe left PSG amidst a contract dispute to join Madrid at the start of last season. It is believed that a major factor behind his move to Madrid was to win the Champions League trophy, something which PSG lacked before this season. Ironically, the French giants went on to win Europe’s Premier Club competition this past season against the expectations of many. Many thought that they would not progress to the deeper stages of the competition in the absence of Mbappe. 

While Mbappe’s availability will be music to the ears of Alonso as he is arguably one of the best players of all time, it means that the tournament’s breakout star Goncalo Garcia will be moved to the bench. The 21-year-old Garcia has been the tournament’s biggest breakout star, chipping in with four goals so far. His performances in the Club World Cup would have certainly won him appearances in the first team of Madrid next season. While the Club World Cup has attracted plenty of criticism due to its format, it has created a platform for players like Garcia to establish themselves as breakout stars. 

Meanwhile, Real Madrid are still looking to strengthen their squad ahead of the new season. One player whom they are soon expected to sign is left-back Alvaro Carreras from Benfica. Carreras is no stranger to Madrid having been part of the club’s youth development system between 2017 and 2020. He then went on to play for Manchester United with whom he started his professional career but never made an appearance for them. He later joined Benfica, initially on loan in 2024.