Just two years ago, on December 18, 2022, Qatar’s national day, Mbappé was sitting on the grass of the Lusail stadium, with his gaze lost on the grass and with Macron as a cloth of tears, thinking about a play that could have changed the history of the first World Cup held in a Middle Eastern country. It was Messi’s World Cup, but it could have perfectly been Kylian’s second. He equaled 2-0 with two goals in the 80th and 81st minute, and in extra time he tied the game again at 3-3 in the 118th minute, but in the 120th minute ‘Dibu’ Martínez made the save of his life against Kolo Muani and that’s where the party ended. 730 days later, Mbappé returns to Lusail to lift the first Intercontinental Cup of his career. «Mbappé had a very good feeling in training on Monday and we will wait if it is the same today. He was sprinting and we are optimistic. We will evaluate the risk with the doctors, and if there is not, the idea is for him to play,” explained the Italian in the preview, hinting that it is most likely that Kylian will start tonight against Pachuca, the white rival. It will also be a match special for Carlo Ancelotti. The Italian can today become the coach with the most titles in Madrid’s history, surpassing Miguel Muñoz’s 15. A milestone that makes the Italian happy: «I realize that it is something important to achieve all this success with Real Madrid. Honestly, I think I’ve done a good job and I want to continue doing good work. It is an honor to be compared to Miguel Muñoz and other great coaches in the history of Madrid. » to the Rayistas fans and protested in an exacerbated way. If the ninth world award for the white club was consummated (if we combine the Intercontinental and Club World Cup formats), Ancelotti would have won a title in Madrid every 21 days, something that a white coach has never achieved. Successful numbers that support his story of recent weeks, in which he has insisted that his team has neither gotten out of hand nor is it dead: “I have not lost control of the locker room,” he said ironically when asked about a local journalist. «I understand constructive criticism and it is part of my job. A coach can be criticized, there is not a single coach in the history of football who is free of criticism. This year’s one comes because last season we won the League and the Champions League and in the summer we signed the best player in the world. The criticism starts from there. “1+1 is two, but in football 1+1 is not always two,” he added. This 2024 Intercontinental Cup is a hybrid between the traditional Club World Cup, or at least the one we knew until the new 32-team format that will begin next summer in the United States, and the usual Intercontinental Cup. The champions of the six confederations decide who is the best team on the planet, but for the first time the Champions League champion has been released from playing in the semifinals and has entered directly into the final. It is the way that FIFA has understood to be most appropriate to avoid burdening the European champion with matches and assessing the difficulty of achieving the continental crown. A format change that does not detract from the title. «I couldn’t say why in England this title is not given value because I have not played in the Premier, but in Madrid we give it a lot of importance. “This match means winning a title and Madrid takes a final very seriously,” explains Bellingham. «We are very excited to be here because it is a gift. A final is a special moment and like all the games that Madrid plays, they are a trap. Pachuca is a team that deserves to be in the final, like us, and we must respect that. “For them as well as for us, this title is very important,” says Ancelotti.
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