Jose Mourinho praised “insane” Kylian Mbappe after the striker scored a hat-trick as Real Madrid defeated Real Sociedad 4-1 in the head coach’s return to the home dugout at the Bernabeu.
The France international striker, the Golden Boot winner at this summer’s World Cup, continued his rich form in front of goal to make it two La Liga wins from two for Mourinho, who was re-appointed at Madrid — whom he previously managed between 2010 and 2013 — this summer.
Mbappe produced three brilliant finishes against Real Sociedad as Jude Bellingham provided two assists, as he also teed up Vinicius Junior for the third.
“There’s something I don’t like doing, but sometimes I have to do: I don’t like to talk about individuals, but what Kylian did …it was insane,” Mourinho told Real Madrid TV after the match.
“Mbappe has a knack for scoring, for creating chances … when the team is under pressure, he’s able to drop deep and link up with Vini and Jude, gaining ground and creating danger.”
When talking at his press conference on Mbappe, Mourinho added: “This bloke is incredible. He’s incredible. I’m really glad he made history at the World Cup because only one player is truly for the ages, the one with the most World Cup goals. I can see he’s absolutely raring to make history with Real Madrid. I’ve seen a team where, even though Kylian is Kylian and has done what he’s done.”
The Portuguese coach added: “Mbappe arrived two days before his holidays were expected to finish, and those two extra days in pre-season can make a positive difference.”
Mbappe played the entirety of Saturday’s opening-day 2-1 victory at Espanyol but did not score, yet on Wednesday it was his treble that fired Madrid to a comprehensive victory over Real Sociedad.
The 27-year-old opened the scoring five minutes before the break but Luka Sucic equalised for the visitors in the 44th minute.
Madrid, who enjoyed the lion’s share of the games chances, restored their lead on the hour mark after Bellingham assisted Mbappe and eight minutes later, Bellingham was again the provider as Vinicius Jr found the net.
The Brazilian then picked out Mbappe with a pinpoint pass for the Frenchman’s third and Madrid fourth in the 80th minute.
Footage available to watch UK readers:
Kylian Mbappé has his hat-trick! 💥 Vinícius Júnior picks him out with a wonderful pass before the striker applies the finish 👊 pic.twitter.com/cd3klM6q4f — Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) August 26, 2026
Brahim Diaz thought he had added a fifth for Madrid late on, but it was chalked off as Carlos Espi was offside in the build-up.
Madrid’s fans unified in team support
Analysis by The Athletic’s Real Madrid correspondent Mario Cortegana
One of the interesting aspects of the return to the Bernabeu was how the fans would react to various players, including Mbappe, following all the noise that surrounded last season.
Everything went smoothly, a far cry from the drama of past months. During that time, Mbappe had been booed on a few occasions at the stadium, mainly because of a trip he took with his partner whilst recovering from a muscle injury.
The season even ended with an exchange of words through the media with the previous head coach Alvaro Arbeloa. On Wednesday, however, there was no trace of any of that.
Mbappe was announced last in the line-up — the spot Real Madrid reserve for the star player — although this can change during the campaign. The crowd’s reaction was one of total support.
Once the match got underway, it was the same story. Although the striker missed a few clear-cut chances, he was one of the leaders of the team and looked in excellent physical shape, as if he enjoyed a full pre-season.
Each of his three goals was celebrated and his name chanted enthusiastically.
After two seasons without major trophies since his arrival as a free agent from Paris Saint-Germain, Mbappe and Madrid’s fans have set out to do everything in their power to turn things around.