Kylian Mbappé's Hat-Trick and Real Madrid's Unity Under Mourinho

Kylian Mbappé walked off with the match ball against Real Sociedad, but his hat-trick may not be the most important thing happening at Real Madrid right now.

Behind the goals, something else is taking shape: a squad finally pulling in the same direction under José Mourinho.

Mourinho’s idea takes hold

As reported by AS, Mbappé and his teammates have thrown their weight behind a simple but demanding principle Mourinho has pushed since day one: individual glory means little if the team is not moving as one.

Mbappé has never needed lessons in finishing. His three goals in the 4-1 win over Real Sociedad were another cold reminder of how ruthless he can be in front of goal. Yet it is the mood around the dressing room that is beginning to turn heads.

Old disputes? For now, parked. The harmony on display across Madrid’s first two competitive games has given Mourinho exactly what he craves most at the start of a long season: a base of unity to build from.

He has made togetherness a non-negotiable. Real Madrid are stacked with individual talent, but the Portuguese coach knows that only carries a team so far once the calendar tightens and the pressure bites. A season loaded with major competitions demands players who run for each other, not just for themselves.

Mbappé seems to have taken that on board. For most of his career, the conversation around him has started and ended with numbers. Goals, assists, records. They still matter — they always will for a striker — but the sport’s biggest individual prizes almost always arrive hand in hand with collective success.

Put bluntly: Mbappé’s goals can drive Real Madrid to trophies. Real Madrid’s trophies can power Mbappé’s case for the game’s top individual honour.

A hat-trick with perfect timing

His demolition of Real Sociedad could hardly have been better timed.

The 2026 Ballon d’Or winner will be announced on October 27, and France Football is set to release its 30-man shortlist in the coming days. There is no agreed formula for the award, no precise equation that settles the debate, and this year’s argument over contenders is wide open.

The World Cup looms large over the vote. Spain’s stars, fresh from international success, are expected to feature heavily. Paris Saint-Germain’s continued progress in the Champions League has also strengthened the cases of several of their players.

Amid all of that, Mbappé is making sure his name does not drift out of the discussion. Performances like this one against Real Sociedad keep him right in the thick of it.

Mbappé and Madrid, a shared agenda

The Ballon d’Or is, by definition, an individual prize. Yet Mbappé’s most convincing claim will rest as much on what happens around him as what he produces alone.

That is why Real Madrid’s early sense of togetherness matters. Two games do not erase every doubt around this squad, and the season is only just under way. Questions will come, form will dip, pressure will rise.

For now, though, Mourinho appears to have found a group ready to buy into his message. And at the heart of it, Mbappé has hit the new campaign at full speed — with his goals and, crucially, with the team very much in his sights.