Kylian Mbappe has yet to win a major team trophy with Real Madrid since arriving in 2024. For Barcelona president Joan Laporta, that was predictable.

Signing the Frenchman for free, with his Paris Saint-Germain contract expiring, was a huge coup for the Spanish club, as Mbappe’s market value, then and now, is around £170m (€200m). On an individual level, his arrival has been a success for Real Madrid, with the forward finding the net 97 times in 114 games.

Collectively, though, it has not been the same for two years, with Real Madrid failing to win a single team trophy with the French international in their ranks.

Real Madrid’s transfer policy questioned over Mbappe

In a long interview with L’Equipe, Barcelona president Joan Laporta did not hesitate to revisit comments dating back to 2024. The 64-year-old had said at the time that Real Madrid would have dressing-room problems by signing Mbappe:

‘Yes, I said it. More than one cockerel in the same henhouse cannot work, ever. The priority in football is the team and team spirit. If you do not have that, the project does not work.’

He then used his own club, the reigning two-time La Liga champions, as an example:

‘It is one of Barcelona’s strengths: having great talents, players from La Masia, players from other footballing cultures, and managing to build a team with a synergy that works.'

'Thanks to a masterful manager (Hansi Flick) and also a sporting director (Deco) who works to improve this team. They preferred individuals, big signings. I believe Real Madrid have lost credibility and they are trying by all means to justify all this by lying about the Negreira case, because they have not won anything for two years. We are winning and we are candidates to win everything.’

Is Mbappe the problem at Real Madrid?

Extremely prolific with the Spanish club, can the France captain really be considered Real Madrid’s biggest concern?

Probably not. A team’s top scorer is never its number one problem, and Mbappe does what is asked of him, and with zeal, scoring 11 goals in 11 games this season. The problem lies elsewhere, notably with Vinicius Jr.

The 26-year-old Brazilian has been unrecognisable since the start of the season, with one goal and three assists in 10 games. Real Madrid’s number one attacking threat before 2024, the forward has slipped behind Mbappe, both on the pitch and symbolically.

Recently handed a new contract until June 2032, Vinicius Jr was even left on the bench against Villarreal (1-0), the ultimate sign of his decline. The left winger appears to be struggling with Mbappe’s presence in the team, which ultimately affects results, just as the Barcelona president had predicted.

And with Florentino Perez having spent £119m (€140m) on another attacker, Yan Diomande, this summer, questions can be asked about Real Madrid’s transfer policy.

Since 2024 and the Mbappe signing, the Spanish club appear to be acting against their own sporting interests in the market, not recruiting where their needs lie, notably in midfield, and giving a second chance to players in decline, such as Vinicius Jr. But is that really surprising for the club that ushered in the Galacticos era in the 2000s, with plenty of stars but few trophies?