Kylian Mbappe has been one of the standout players at this World Cup.On Tuesday night, the 27-year-old forward inspired France’s 3-0 victory over Sweden in the round of 32, breaking yet another record in his latest epic display. With two goals in that win he took his career total to 10 World Cup knockout-stage goals, making him the competition’s all-time leader in that regard.Mbappe is now level with Argentina’s Lionel Messi on six goals in the race for this edition’s Golden Boot, with the pair also battling for ownership of another achievement: the World Cup’s all-time scoring record.Messi, 39, has 19 goals from 29 games across six tournaments, while the Frenchman is already up to 18 from 18 matches in three World Cups.But perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Mbappe’s story is not the numbers. It’s how dramatically the narrative around him has shifted.Less than a month ago, Mbappe was surrounded by doubts after a second consecutive season at Real Madrid without a major trophy. Some Madrid fans had been booing him at the Bernabeu, while there were concerns around the club over his attitude and how he missed several games through injury.An online so-called ‘petition’ was started, calling on him to leave Real Madrid. In truth it did not follow the most vigorous of vetting processes. It was just a website that tracked the number of clicks on an icon, but it still registered some 96million engagements, which at least provides a sense of the heat around the situation.With France, he looks free, fully fit and is firing on all cylinders. So what has changed? And what does the future hold for the Frenchman’s club career, with Jose Mourinho returning for a second spell in charge?Why have there been doubts over Mbappe at Real Madrid?Mario Cortegana: Mainly because Madrid have gone two seasons in a row without winning a major title, and that lack of success (the last time it happened was from 2008-2010) always fuels criticism at one of world football’s most demanding clubs.This period of disappointment coincides with Mbappe’s first two years following his arrival from Paris Saint-Germain. The French club have happily moved on from their former striker, winning two consecutive Champions League titles.While there are certainly many other factors to consider for both situations, quite a few people have singled Mbappe out as the biggest.Is that fair? On a personal level, Mbappe’s stats have been spectacular. He has scored 86 goals in 103 games for Real Madrid. Over 2025, he equalled Cristiano Ronaldo’s club record from 2013 for the most goals scored in a calendar year, scoring 59 times.But since these goals have not translated into titles, for many Madrid supporters they are worth very little.The noise that has grown around him has not helped his popularity, either. Towards the end of the season especially, he was often unavailable through physical issues before big games such as El Clasico, while a trip he made to Italy just before that game attracted controversy among fans and was not welcomed by figures at the club.Guillermo Rai: During his recovery from a knee sprain in December, there was little clarity over how the situation was being handled, and that grew into an impression among many supporters that he was prioritising World Cup involvement with France as the season wore on.But adding to those controversies over absences, there have also been questions over Mbappe’s attitude on the pitch, which at times has been criticised as individualistic. Mbappe and Vinicius Junior especially took the brunt of fans’ frustrations with the team’s poor campaign, and both were jeered at the Bernabeu on several occasions.In January, Mbappe said Real Madrid fans should boo the ‘whole squad, not just a few players’ (Oscar del Pozo/AFP via Getty Images)Mbappe almost became the poster boy for general discontentment as Madrid’s season slipped away following the sacking of Xabi Alonso in January.Madrid’s intention with that decision was to get their season back on track, but under Alonso’s replacement Alvaro Arbeloa, things did not improve and heat would build towards the most explosive moment of Madrid’s disastrous 2025-26 — the dressing-room fight between Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde at the training ground.It blew the lid off simmering tension behind the scenes, a first sign of which had come in relation to Mbappe, who had previously been involved in an altercation with a member of Madrid’s coaching staff.Why is it working so well for him with France?Dermot Corrigan: It has been super interesting to see just how happy Mbappe has looked with France during this tournament, given how strained his relationship with his national team has appeared at times in the past, especially during autumn 2024, when he missed four Nations League games.National team coach Didier Deschamps has managed their relationship really well, with a connection clear when Mbappe ran to celebrate his first goal against Sweden with the 57-year-old, who had missed France’s final group game after a trip home following the death of his mother.There were smiles all around again when Deschamps performed a mock bow as the superstar forward was substituted in the 84th minute of that round of 32 match, having scored two goals in France’s 3-0 win to set up a meeting with Paraguay in the last 16.“I think that reflects the spirit of this group, it’s part of our DNA,” Mbappe told beIN Sports. “We are all together.”Deschamps made this gesture towards Mbappe as the France striker came off against Sweden (Mauro Pimentel/AFP via Getty Images)The contrast is striking with how troubled Mbappe has looked at various times during his two seasons at Madrid, where his relationship with now former head coach Arbeloa was particularly strained during the final awkward months of the 2025-26 club campaign.Mbappe’s relationship with his France team-mates, especially the other big names in the France attack, is also clearly different.Through this tournament, Mbappe has connected really well with Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise in particular, with the three fluidly exchanging positions in the front line, and finding each other with passes around the opposition penalty area. They all appear to be on the same wavelength on the pitch, with a shared idea that what works best for the team collectively also helps them to shine personally.Back at Madrid, Mbappe and fellow galacticos Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham often struggled to link up together, with each trying to do something special individually, to the detriment of the team.Mbappe also clearly looks physically better at the moment than at any time during the second half of the 2025-26 club season. A long-running knee problem became a real issue around the club, not helped by Madrid’s medical staff performing an MRI scan on the wrong leg back in December.How have Madrid fans been reacting to Mbappe’s France heroics?Cortegana: Opinions are somewhat divided, as is often the case with Mbappe. Some have celebrated his outstanding performances, hoping they’ll help him be just as decisive with Madrid next season.But there’s also a segment of the fanbase that regrets he’s performing at such a high level with his national team after failing to deliver for Madrid.Rai: Some Madrid fans are responding with a certain coldness to Mbappe’s display, and among the most sceptical and club-focused, it will likely reinforce the belief that he had been holding back in some way. That is also how it has been interpreted in some more sensationalist parts of the Spanish press.What is certain is that it also serves as a reminder that, if Mbappe is given full freedom in a side, he will repay it.How does he fit into the rebuild under Jose Mourinho?Cortegana: Sources close to Mourinho, who was reappointed as Madrid manager in June, having also led the club from 2010-13, have praised Mbappe’s outstanding form at the World Cup. Obviously, for the 63-year-old coach, he is a clear starter — as a forward in the 4-2-3-1 formation the Portuguese plans to use.Club sources have also expressed confidence that this could be a turning point. Despite some rumours, Madrid’s board has not considered selling him or any of the other so-called galacticos, despite the team’s poor dynamics over the past two seasons.Rai: In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Mourinho described Mbappe as “a phenomenal player”, adding: “I will try to help him become even better.”The view shared with The Athletic by sources close to Mourinho is also in line with the stance shown by Madrid’s president Florentino Perez during his successful re-election campaign, when he also sought to shut down any debate over the striker.“Mbappe is one of the best players in the world,” he said at a press conference. “You only have to look at his numbers to understand the scale of our player. No one should question the level of such an extraordinary player. He will give us a lot, and I am sure he will succeed at Real Madrid.”