Kylian Mbappe delivered a strong message after Real Madrid secured a 2-1 victory over Barcelona in Sunday's El Clásico. The French superstar insisted that the result was a collective effort and that the Spanish league title race remains far from over.
Mbappe scored twice, including his 100th goal for Real Madrid, to help his side claim three crucial points and move within three points of Barcelona in the La Liga standings. His 87th-minute winner also ended Barcelona's hopes of winning their opening 10 league matches of the season.
Despite his match-winning performance, Mbappe was quick to emphasise the importance of teamwork and maintaining the right mentality for the remainder of the campaign.
Mbappe Sends Strong Message After Real Madrid's El Clásico Win
Speaking to Real Madrid TV after the match, Mbappe highlighted the importance of the victory but warned his teammates against becoming overconfident after beating their arch-rivals.
"In the end, winning and still being in the title race is very important for us," Mbappe said.
"But we have to keep going. We know it's a big game, but it's worth three points, and we need a lot of points to win the league."
The forward added that the result was an important statement from the team but insisted that the season was far from decided.
"Today sends a good message but we can't think that the season is over, because nothing has been decided," he added.
Real Madrid have now won five consecutive matches across all competitions since the international break, strengthening their position in the title race.
'It's A Team Victory': Mbappe Credits Real Madrid Players
Although his two goals proved decisive against Barcelona, Mbappe refused to take all the credit for the victory, praising the collective effort and mentality displayed by the squad.
"It's a team victory. The credit goes to the team and the group, because we knew we had to play like men, but also as a team," he said.
"We prepared well in our recent games because we won and played well. We came into this with the right mentality, and today we gave everything we had."
Mbappe also stressed that Real Madrid possesses enough individual quality to achieve their ambitions this season, provided the players continue working together.
"If we want to have any hopes of achieving things this year, we have to do it as a group and as a team, because the quality is here," he said.
"When you look at the players here, anyone who says there's no quality is a liar. But we have to do everything as a team and as a group, because that's how we're going to achieve what we want to achieve."
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Mbappe Plays Down Personal Milestone After Barcelona Win
The victory was also special for the French forward. Mbappe reached a personal milestone, scoring 100 goals for Real Madrid in just 116 appearances.
However, the forward played down the achievement, insisting that the result and the confidence it could bring to the squad mattered more than his individual numbers.
"Everyone knows I like scoring goals and helping the team that way," Mbappe said.
"But I think today that's just a detail. This victory will give the group a lot of confidence, and there will be many more goals, so it's not that important."
Real Madrid will now look to build on their El Clásico win as they continue their quest of the La Liga title. Jose Mourinho showed his masterclass as Los Blancos outclassed their arch-rivals after a long tenure of losses.