Kylian Mbappe jogged, clapped his hands together and waved to a crowd of excited fans before checking into the Club World Cup for the first time.
From there, the Real Madrid star didn't need to do much for his club to advance past Juventus into the tournament's quarterfinals.
Gonzalo García, who had started Madrid's four matches while Mbappe dealt with an illness, scored what turned out to be the winning goal on a header Tuesday afternoon before subbing out of the match.
Mbappe replaced him in the 68th minute of the 1-0 win in the round of 16, interacting with the crowd that chanted his name before taking off his warmup suit. He was active on the pitch and received a few passes from Vinicius Junior despite not scoring.
Mbappe had a gastrointestinal illness before Real Madrid’s opening Club World Cup match and was treated at a hospital. He sat out all three group matches as Madrid won two and drew the other.
In his place, the 21-year-old García scored three goals, with a goal contribution in every match of the tournament.
After coach Xabi Alonso said Monday it was possible Mbappe could make his highly anticipated Club World Cup debut, the French star arrived with the team several hours before the game was set to begin at Hard Rock Stadium.
He walked onto the field ahead of Tuesday's match to an ovation from the fans in the soggy venue that had seen downpours throughout the afternoon.
Mbappe's return brings star power to a tournament that took a hit when Lionel Messi and Inter Miami were eliminated in the round of 16 by Mbappe’s and Messi's former club, Paris Saint-Germain.
