Rivaldo, a former star player for Barcelona, backed Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé on Thursday.

Because he started his life in Spain, the France player has been getting a lot of bad press.

For his part, Mbappé finally made his long-awaited move to Real Madrid this summer, after letting his deal with Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain run out.

The French player has since scored eight goals and set up two others in 13 games across all categories, which is a very good record.

And yet, amid sky-high expectations, Mbappé has nevertheless been subjected to regular condemnation from across the Spanish football landscape.

One individual, though, in no two minds when it comes to the long-term prospects of the 25-year-old in the colours of Real Madrid, comes in the form of Rivaldo.

Speaking in an interview with Marca on Thursday, ahead of this weekend’s first Clásico of the campaign, ex-Barcelona standout Rivaldo was drawn on Mbappé’s efforts in La Liga thus far.

And the Ballon d’Or winner showed no hesitation in jumping to the defence of the Frenchman, assuring:

”Sometimes it takes a while to adapt. But Kylian is a great player and he will surely make history at Madrid. He is very good and has already scored several goals. He is not yet the Mbappé that all the fans would like, but you have to bear in mind that we are at the beginning and he has just arrived. He will be a very important player and will go down in Madrid’s history.”