Tue Sep 16 18:10:00 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a news article based on the provided text:
**Headline: Mbappe Not Anxious for Champions League Glory, Says Real Madrid Boss Alonso**
**Madrid, Spain – September 15, 2025** – Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso has downplayed any pressure on star striker Kylian Mbappe to immediately deliver Champions League success, despite the club’s rich history in the competition. Ahead of their opening Champions League match against Marseille, Alonso told reporters that Mbappe, who joined Los Blancos from Paris Saint-Germain last summer, is part of a long-term project aimed at winning the coveted trophy “sooner rather than later.”
“He’s not anxious, we all feel this is a project that’s just starting,” Alonso stated, emphasizing that the focus is on the immediate future, not the final in May.
Mbappe, 26, endured a difficult Club World Cup semi-final against his former team, PSG, this summer, with Madrid suffering a heavy 4-0 defeat. Alonso attributed Mbappe’s subpar performance to a stomach bug. However, the striker has since found his form, scoring four goals in four La Liga games this season. Alonso confirmed Mbappe’s leadership qualities: “Without doubt (he’s a leader), for his personality, experience, the influence he has on the others, he’s one of them.”
While acknowledging the pressure that comes with managing a club with Real Madrid’s Champions League pedigree, Alonso framed it as “an honour, a motivation and it is a responsibility you live with and enjoy.” Real Madrid will be looking for their seventh Champions League title since 2014.