When Real Madrid signed Kylian Mbappe, most football fans around the world thought it would be the start of another era of dominance for Los Blancos. They were the Champions League holders, adding arguably the best player on the planet on a free transfer. It almost felt unfair.

Things have not exactly gone according to expectations since then though. Individually, Mbappe has been putting up the numbers. Perhaps he has outdone himself.

In his debut season for Real Madrid, Mbappe scored a career-best 44 goals. This time around, he looks set to even better that mark. He has scored 40 times in 39 games.

But as mind-boggling as those numbers are, it has not translated to team success. They failed to win a major trophy last season. And this time around, it appears that things are headed in the same direction.

Real Madrid were knocked out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich. In La Liga, they are nine points behind Barcelona with seven league games left to be played. It would be a surprise if they are able to mount a comeback from this position.

Naturally, questions are being asked about the effect that Mbappe has on a team. Let's not forget, PSG won the Champions League last season, right after he left. This time around, they are in the semi-finals once again.

So, is Mbappe negatively affecting teams even though he scores goals consistently? And if that is the case, how long with Real Madrid back him? Success is the most important thing at the Bernabeu.

Mbappe recently broke his silence after Real Madrid's Champions League exit. He wrote on his Instagram: "We tried until the very end, but it wasn’t enough. It’s disappointing to be eliminated from such an important competition, but we have to look ahead. We need to take a hard look at ourselves to avoid this kind of disappointment again. We will never give up!!! In Madrid, failure has never been and never will be an option. But I promise you one thing: we will start winning again and very soon."

Well, Real Madrid fans will be waiting for that to happen. So far, Mbappe has proven that he can deliver the numbers in the famous Royal White jersey. But can he deliver trophies as well?

Of course, you cannot blame just Mbappe for the club's lack of success over the last two seasons. The performance levels of a lot of players has dropped since the last Champions League triumph.

It might be time to part ways with some of this squad and rebuild with the future in mind. Let's see what kind of moves Real Madrid make in the summer transfer window.

It is worth remembering that Real Madrid were not exactly winning everything early in the Cristiano Ronaldo era either. But once they added the right players to the mix. The likes of Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Gareth Bale, and a few others, that team did not stop lifting trophies. Perhaps it is about surrounding Mbappe with the right kind of players as well.

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