Hupu announced on May 5 that during this season, the most confusing topic for Real Madrid is the compatibility between Mbappe and Vinicius. Barcelona's famous player Baquero recently quoted a classic quote from Godfather Cruyff, thus giving a heart-wrenching conclusion to this "double competition".
Whether Mbappe and Vinicius can have a chemical reaction on the same lawn has become a lingering shadow for Real Madrid this season. It has been observed that when the two play side by side, Vinicius often appears to be timid and the starlight becomes dim. However, once Mbappe is absent due to injury, the Brazilian will immediately become the master of the court. Not only can he tear apart the opponent's defense with his own strength, but he can also score goals that determine the outcome of the game.
In the match between Real Madrid and Espanyol last weekend, this phenomenon was once again confirmed. In the absence of Mbappe, Vinicius scored two goals by himself, once again confirming his terrifying dominance when leading the team with a "single core".
After this phenomenon appeared, Spain's Ser Radio's ace program "El Larguero" launched a heated discussion. The host Manu Reno asked a "think tank" composed of former players that pointed question, that is: Did Vinicius play better without Mbappe?
Alvaro Benito, a former Real Madrid player, and Alcorta have negative opinions. However, Kiko, Raul Ruiz, and Baquero, a famous Barcelona star, all think so firmly: yes.
During the debate, Baquero quoted a famous saying about football philosophy by his mentor, Johan Cruyff, which instantly illuminated the current situation. Baquero recalled, "I recalled John's famous assertion. He said that in a team, you can only have one unique player, and absolutely not two."
Cruyff was not just making baseless claims. He had personally dealt with such "happiness troubles". According to Bacro's explanation, when Cruyff coached Barcelona's "Dream Team" in the past, he successively introduced Stoichkov and Romario.
When these two top superstars were in the arena at the same time, there were indeed dreamlike moments, but more often they presented conflicts that were difficult to reconcile with each other. According to my experience and the teachings given by Cruyff, the core points of a team's tactics and the spiritual leader can ultimately only accommodate one "different person".
During the discussion, the guests mentioned another recent example, which is the partnership between Messi and Griezmann in Barcelona.
At that time, Griezmann came to Camp Nou with the aura he had at the peak of his career. However, in the tactical system where Messi controlled and dominated the overall situation, the French star was never able to find his own rhythm. In the end, he looked dim and lackluster under the extremely dazzling light released by the ball king.
Nowadays, Real Madrid seems to be trapped in the same cycle. Mbappe is the kind of absolutely key figure who is accustomed to "holding the ball, sprinting, and dominating", and Vinicius is also the absolute core accustomed to this state. When two top stars who both urgently need a lot of ball power meet, how to balance the space and status of the two is not only a tactical problem faced by Ancelotti, but also touches on the football laws predicted by Cruyff.
Decades later, Cruyff's famous words are still inspiring. For Real Madrid, having two players ranked among the top three in the world should be an indestructible weapon. However, if the curse of "one mountain cannot tolerate two tigers" cannot be broken, such a luxurious configuration may actually become a fetter for the team to move forward.
Brazil has the best attacking depth in the World Cup.