Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe offered his match-shirt to legendary Rafael Nadal after the team’s LaLiga opener against Mallorca. The statement signing for the club this season met Nadal after the game and shared a lovely moment that was caught on camera.

Mbappe showed incredible promise on his first day out in LaLiga but was not able to inspire his team to a win in their first match. The defending champions started off with a 1-1 draw away from home after Rodrygo’s early goal was cancelled out by Vedat Muriqi in the second half of the match.

Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham, key signings in Real Madrid’s “New Galacticos” lineup, were largely ineffective in front of goal in their match against Mallorca. Vinicius Jr. was the only notable threat against Mallorca’s disciplined defense. Vinicius had several heated exchanges with rivals and was reprimanded by the referee after reacting to taunts from the local fans, who had previously racially abused him in February 2023.

Real Madrid vs Mallorca: Match Report

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made several crucial saves to maintain the lead, but was powerless against Muriqi’s powerful header from a corner in the 53rd minute, which levelled the score for Mallorca. Despite Mbappe’s late efforts, including two angled strikes denied by Mallorca goalkeeper Dominik Greif, Real were unable to regain the lead. The match ended with Real down to 10 men after defender Ferland Mendy received a straight red card for a sliding tackle deep into added time.

This draw, combined with Barcelona’s 2-1 win over Valencia the previous day, suggests that Real Madrid may need to work harder to integrate Mbappe into their squad and mount a successful title defence. The club will hope to regroup as they face Valladolid on 25 August in their first home game of the season. Carlo Ancelotti and his men would hope to put up a better show in front of their home fans after a good run in the pre-season matches.