Real Madrid will suffer so long as Jose Mourinho does not establish a hierarchy between these egos

Real Madrid will suffer so long as Jose Mourinho does not establish a hierarchy between these egos! The complementarity will only be effective if one knows he’s playing for the other. That creates balance across the entire team. It’s not by chance that PSG with Neymar, Messi and Mbappe did not work. There was no hierarchy. It even got ugly at times between Mbappe and Neymar.

Real Madrid may not reach that point but the absence of hierarchy will always be evident on the pitch with multiple hero-seeking actions.

In two ways, Vini’s exit would have been positive. First, it would have meant Mbappe comes in from the left, Diomande comes in from the right and a natural centre forward plays in the middle. Second, it would have been clear that Mbappe is the leader.

This is not to say Vini can’t lead or is the problem. Vini played for Benzema in a balanced ecosystem wherein Benzema was the boss. However, since Mbappe arrived, there’s no clear hierarchy and it’s a major call for concern.

You have one guy who wears the legendary Number 7 and almost won the Ballon d’Or, and you have another who came in as a rockstar and is the highest paid in the squad. How do you convince any of them to play for the other?

Mourinho has work.

Dr Ade Divine