Carlo Ancelotti, the happiest coach in the world, kept it brief: “Kylian has fantastic qualities. He works well, coordinates, and participates in defense. He has the quality to score many goals. 50 goals? That’s the question for Mbappe right on the pitch. We are Real Madrid. We have no limits. If it’s 50, then 50. The most important thing is for the whole team to win and improve. This is how we will win titles.”
Mbappe’s first game mirrored Bellingham’s debut last year when Jude scored. Now, he assisted Kylian. Every striker needs to score as soon as possible, and Mbappe achieved that. Bellingham played a significant role in Mbappe’s success.
Throughout the first half, Mbappe and Vinicius crowded the same area, making it easy for Atalanta to defend and counterattack—similar to how Atalanta defeated Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in the Europa League final. The modest Italian side had a moment where the ball deflected off Militao’s head and hit the crossbar in the first half. Early in the second half, only Courtois’s brilliance saved Madrid from conceding. Madrid’s disarray highlighted Toni Kroos’s value even more.

The turning point came when Bellingham dropped back slightly—a necessary move in the absence of Kroos. From there, Jude orchestrated the play better, finding Vinicius to set up the opening goal, allowing the Brazilian to showcase his dribbling genius before assisting Valverde’s goal. “Ancelotti trusts me in various positions,” Jude explained when receiving the UEFA Super Cup MVP award.
Ancelotti made several notes in his Super Cup journal, but overall, he was pleased with the cohesion of the “BMV” trio. Madrid still has six other titles to pursue this season.