Marca: Vinicius and Mbappé's Ineffective Link-up Play a Challenge for Mourinho

Since the two began playing side by side, their direct connections have accounted for only 19 out of 269 goals.

They are Real Madrid's two biggest stars and the most important attacking players in this extraordinarily potent team. However, after two seasons of collaboration, this duo has yet to find the chemistry to transform individual brilliance into collective impact. This is an area where Mourinho still has room for improvement compared to Ancelotti, Xabi Alonso, and Arbeloa.

More than two years ago, on August 14, 2024, Vinicius and Mbappé played together for the first time in the UEFA Super Cup held in Warsaw, where Real Madrid defeated Atalanta and the Frenchman scored his first goal in a white shirt. Since then, Real Madrid has played 125 matches with both players on the field for 89 of them. When both were on the pitch, the team scored 192 goals, but only 19 of them (9.8%) came from direct combinations between them. The low figure is striking. In total during this period, Real Madrid has scored 269 goals.

Real Madrid's first goal from a Vinicius-Mbappé combination came in their fifth game together on September 1, 2024, against Betis at the Bernabéu. The French forward scored twice, with the second goal coming from a penalty after the Brazilian was fouled in the box. This was the first of 10 direct combinations that resulted in a goal during Ancelotti's tenure. In 8 of these, Vinicius initiated and Mbappé finished. Three instances occurred against Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup and at Montjuïc, but they still ended in defeats (5-2 and 4-3).

Last season, affected by instability at Real Madrid, the goals directly created by the Vinicius-Mbappé partnership dropped to 9, one fewer than the previous season. Six of these occurred during Xabi Alonso's brief tenure (against Oviedo, Espanyol, Villarreal, two goals against Olympiacos in Athens, and against Girona). Arbeloa's tenure saw 3, all in the Champions League against Monaco, Benfica, and Bayern. On April 15 at the Allianz Arena, Mbappé's goal in the 2-3 loss to Bayern came from a pass by Vinicius. The ratio of key passes to goals last season was 7-2 in Vinicius's favor. Of the 15 combinations where Vinicius assisted Mbappé and a goal was scored, 3 originated from penalties won by the Brazilian.

Real Madrid's opening match of the 2024-25 season and Mourinho's return saw Vinicius and Mbappé fail to combine for a goal. Both players' performances were somewhat muted. Vinicius, aside from his constant physical battles with defenders, struggled to produce the incisive plays that define his game. His talent was neutralized by the defensive system implemented by Manolo González's team.

Mbappé, meanwhile, avoided this defensive trap but his form was a stark contrast to his Club World Cup displays and far removed from when he won the Golden Boot with 10 goals—a tally unseen since Gerd Müller in 1970. At Espanyol's stadium, Mbappé showed a frustratingly wasteful side. Despite 10 shots, with only 3 on target, he failed to open his account on his path to claiming his third Pichichi trophy and his ninth consecutive top scorer award in his career.

Now Mourinho's task is clear: transform the individual brilliance of these two standard-bearers into collective team impact. The former they have both proven capable of delivering; the latter remains a significant challenge that will require major trophies to fully address. So far, this Real Madrid team led by Vinicius and Mbappé has won only the UEFA Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup. For the shirts they wear and their potential, these remain relatively modest achievements.

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