Kylian Mbappe targeted a haul of 50 goals in his first season with Real Madrid after scoring on his debut in their UEFA Super Cup win over Atalanta, declaring: "I have no limit".

Mbappe joined Federico Valverde on the scoresheet as Champions League holders Madrid won the Super Cup for a record-breaking sixth time on Wednesday, beating La Dea 2-0.

The former Paris Saint-Germain forward slammed into the top-right corner after being teed up by Jude Bellingham after 68 minutes in Warsaw, where Madrid were arguably unfortunate not to win by a greater margin.

Having contributed 44 goals and 10 assists during his final campaign in France, Mbappe is hopeful of an even more impressive return in his debut season with Los Blancos. 

"We're at Real Madrid, we have no limit, I have no limit," Mbappe told Movistar.

"If I can score 50 goals, it's 50. But the most important thing is to win and improve as a team, because we're going to win as a team.

"It was a great night. I've been waiting for this moment a long time, to play in this shirt, with this badge, for these fans. It's a great moment for me.

"Winning a trophy is very important, we know that we always have to win. I'm very happy, for sure with the goal, for a forward like me, being decisive in my first game, but more importantly, it's a pleasure to play."

Mbappe played as a central striker flanked by Brazil internationals Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo, with Bellingham playing in a slightly deeper role than that he occupied in his first season at the Santiago Bernabeu.

After Vinicius and Bellingham combined to tee up his goal, Mbappe said he was excited to develop alongside the two Ballon d'Or contenders. 

"They're two great players," Mbappe said when asked about Vinicius and Bellingham. 

"Here we have the best in every position. I'm happy to play with the entire squad we have, we'll improve for sure, me first of all, but today is a positive step."

Jude Bellingham hailed Kylian Mbappe as the ideal team-mate after the Frenchman began his Real Madrid career with a goal in their UEFA Super Cup victory over Atalanta.

Mbappe hammered his finish into the top-right corner to give Madrid daylight after 68 minutes at the Stadion Narodowy, having been picked out near the penalty spot by Bellingham.

That strike made the former Paris Saint-Germain star the first Madrid player to net on his debut since Bellingham made an immediate impact last August, scoring in their opening match in LaLiga against Athletic Bilbao.

Asked whether Mbappe's debut goal was written in the stars by TNT Sports, Bellingham said: "I think so, he's just one of those players, isn't he? 

"He's brilliant, he's so sharp and he has so much technical quality. He's a great team-mate as well. 

"He doesn't just rely on the quality he has, he works like a dog as well. Full credit to him and he deserves it tonight."

Many had queried how Carlo Ancelotti would field Mbappe, Bellingham, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo in the same lineup, but the quartet combined to great effect in the second half.

Playing in a slightly deeper position than that he occupied in his first campaign in Spain, Bellingham enjoyed the most touches (75) and created the most chances (three) of any Madrid player.  

He has now registered an assist on all three of his final appearances for Madrid, also laying on goals in last season's Champions League and Supercopa de Espana showpiece games.

Asked how he found playing alongside Mbappe, Vinicius and Rodrygo, Bellingham said: "We've got a new-look team, I think in the first half we were still adjusting but in the second half it all came together. 

"I thought we were brilliant. It was really nice. It's going to be a long year for us if we do well in everything, which is want we want to do. So we've got to enjoy nights like tonight.

"It's all about being patient, we're going to suffer at times but we've just got to find our rhythms and play with a smile, enjoy it.

"I think we just need to get a feel for our positions. I can go higher when I need to, and I can come back and help in the build-up as well.

"Whatever the coach wants from me, I'll do it. I don't know if I'm always going to score or make goals but hopefully I'll always be involved in helping the team win."

Kylian Mbappe started his Real Madrid career with a goal as Los Blancos beat Europa League holders Atalanta 2-0 in Warsaw, winning the UEFA Super Cup for a record-breaking sixth time.

Mbappe fired into the top-right corner following good work from Jude Bellingham to clinch victory for the Champions League winners after 68 minutes, nine minutes after Federico Valverde had opened the scoring.

The best chance of a tepid first half fell Madrid's way in stoppage time, with Rodrygo rattling the crossbar after taking in Vinicius Junior's delicate outside-of-the-boot pass.

Thibaut Courtois then made a full-stretch save to keep out Mario Pasalic's header shortly after the restart, and Madrid took full advantage of that reprieve by hitting the front just before the hour mark.

Vinicius drove to the byline on the left side of the area before cutting back for Valverde, who could not miss from almost directly beneath the crossbar.

Vinicius was then denied by Juan Musso when one-on-one, and Madrid's newfound swagger resulted in a debut goal for their latest Galactico. Mbappe hammered home after being picked out by Bellingham inside a crowded penalty area.

Mbappe is the first Madrid player to score on his competitive debut for the club since Bellingham did so against Athletic Bilbao 12 months ago, and the first to do so in the Super Cup since Marco Asensio versus Sevilla in 2016.

Data Debrief: Records for Madrid and Ancelotti

Madrid's victory was their sixth in the Super Cup, taking them clear of Milan and rivals Barcelona for the outright most in the competition's history.

Three of those wins have come under Ancelotti (2014, 2022 and 2024), who also oversaw triumphs for Milan in 2003 and 2007. 

His five Super Cup victories are the most of any coach, with Wednesday's win taking him clear of Pep Guardiola (four). 

Carlo Ancelotti remained coy when asked about the chances of Kylian Mbappe making his Real Madrid debut in the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday.

Madrid won the Champions League by beating Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in June to set up a meeting with Europa League winners Atalanta in Warsaw.

Ancelotti had previously said after a pre-season friendly that he planned on using players who had won the trophy for the Super Cup match.

Mbappe joined as a free agent in June and has now started training with the team following his extended break due to France's involvement in Euro 2024.

And though Ancelotti remained tight-lipped about how Mbappe could be used, he did not rule out a first appearance for the Frenchman in a Madrid shirt.

"Mbappe has arrived well, just like the other players who joined last week," Ancelotti said in his press conference on Tuesday.

"We haven't had much time to train, but we are doing very well, and Kylian has also arrived in good shape. He is adapting very well. Obviously, everyone who is here can play tomorrow."

Madrid are aiming to win the Super Cup for a record sixth time, leapfrogging Barcelona and AC Milan, who have also both won five.

They are also chasing history once again this season with seven titles available for the first time due to FIFA's new Intercontinental Cup.

"As always, we're starting the season with all the excitement and desire," Ancelotti added.

"It's the first title of a season that is going to be very demanding but can also be very successful. We want to start it well. We are aware of the difficulties, but I see the team in good shape, motivated to play a great game." 

Gian Piero Gasperini believes Atalanta have what it takes to cause another upset when they face Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday.

Atalanta shocked Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final back in May, ending the Bundesliga champions' season-long unbeaten run with an emphatic 3-0 victory.

They also pulled off an impressive victory over Liverpool in the quarter-final en route to just their second major trophy, and first in Europe, as they well and truly lived up to their underdog status.

Now, with Champions League winners Madrid on the horizon, Gasperini backed his team to put in another big performance to flip the script once more.

"On paper, we're even more of an underdog than we were against Leverkusen, who were coming into the [Europa League final] unbeaten in an entire season," Gasperini told a press conference on Tuesday.

"Real Madrid will be an even greater hurdle but that means we're even more motivated. It doesn't happen often, but you can overturn the odds in football."

Atalanta do have selection problems ahead of the meeting in Warsaw though, with striker Gianluca Scamacca, who scored six goals in the Europa League last season, set to be out for six months after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a pre-season friendly.

They are also without Teun Koopmeiners, who is reportedly set to join Juventus, and Gasperini admitted it did make things harder not having a full squad at his disposal.

"It's clear that you'd like to go into such a game with a full squad and play your best players to get to the top of your game," Gasperini said.

"But even when we went to Liverpool or other [top] teams, and we often found ourselves with some difficulties, I always asked the guys to play a good game, without thinking of who's there or who's not there."

Europa League winners Atalanta are significantly less competitive at the moment compared to just a few months ago, coach Gian Piero Gasperini conceded.

Gasperini led Atalanta to victory in the Europa League final in May with a 3-0 win against Bayer Leverkusen in Dublin, having impressively knocked out Liverpool at the quarter-final stage.

His side are set to face Champions League winners Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup in Warsaw on Wednesday, but Gasperini warned fans of the Bergamo club not to expect a strong start to the season.

"It's inevitable that it's turned out like this, but at this moment, the season has already become complicated," he told the local newspaper, l'Eco di Bergamo.

The 66-year-old coach confirmed that central midfielder Teun Koopmeiners is set to join Juventus and is no longer training with the first team.

"We've had two very serious injuries, two cruciate ligaments in practically three games with [Giorgio] Scalvini and [Gianluca] Scamaccama, and then the Koopmeiners situation.

"Three technically gifted and economically valuable players for the team and club."

However, Gasperini was hopeful new recruits would be found before the end of the transfer window.

"Honestly, I'd hoped to find myself going into a game as important as the European Super Cup with more of a defined and settled team, having improved with new additions after the Europa League final victory," he said.

"But instead, at this moment, we are down to the minimum, even if I am sure that the club will provide in some way before the end of August."

Atalanta start the Serie A season at Lecce on August 19.

Pep Guardiola is targeting the Club World Cup to complete the set after Manchester City overcame a sloppy start to beat Sevilla on spot-kicks to lift the UEFA Super Cup.

Two months on from becoming the second English club in history to win the treble, the Champions League holders faced the record Europa League winners in Greece.

Sevilla took the lead through Youssef En-Nesyri’s towering header and had numerous chances to extend their lead before City struck back through Cole Palmer’s looping header.

The Super Cup ended 1-1 after 90 minutes and Guardiola’s men triumphed on penalties 5-4 after Nemanja Gudelj smashed the last spot-kick of the shoot-out off the bar.

This was the first time City have won the competition and the Spaniard is determined to add the Club World Cup to their cabinet in December.

“Of course we are not in the best, best moment, I would say,” Guardiola said after winning his fourth Super Cup as a coach.

“But knowing a little bit the players and the mentality of the backroom staff, I had a feeling that we will try.

“We are really pleased to have already one title in this season. Really pleased for the club – this title we didn’t have and now we have it.

“We miss just one to finish all circle and be able for this club to win all the titles we can have. It’s happening in December, when we go to Saudi Arabia to play there, the (Club) World Cup.

“I would say really, really pleased. A tight game like happened in the (Champions League) final against Inter, a tight game that we lost in the last minute against Arsenal (in the Community Shield). Football in these stages, in that moment, in that period is a coin (flip).”

This was an energy-sapping night for City in hot and humid Piraeus, where the match kicked off at 10pm local time and finished in the early hours of Thursday morning.

It is a quick turnaround after a tough test, leading Guardiola to take a pop at the Premier League for scheduling their next match against Newcastle on Saturday evening.

“Of course tomorrow will be even more happier than today,” he said, with City due to fly back to the north west on Thursday.

“Recover, not one drop of alcohol today. Recover as much as possible because again, from Greece, thank you so much for the Premier League to let us play on Saturday. And not on Sunday and Monday. Thank you so much.”

The star man for City was player of the match Palmer, who followed his fine finish in the eventual Community Shield shoot-out loss to Arsenal by scoring a clever header in Greece.

The 21-year-old has been subject of speculation this summer and Guardiola ruled out a loan move for the home-grown talent.

“The opinion I had when he arrived is he wanted to leave, but now I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he said.

“I don’t think a loan is going to happen. He’s going to stay or going to sell, but I think a loan is not going to happen.

“He has a character. It’s not easy to play against defenders like (Marcos) Acuna, for example, who is a top defender.

“It’s not easy, it’s a final. He’s a young player playing in these stages. It’s not easy for these guys. He played really, really good and made a fantastic goal, too.”

As for Sevilla, the shoot-out heartbreak represented a sixth successive Super Cup loss.

Head coach Jose Luis Mendilibar said: “To make a good plan against a team as good as City is very complicated. I really wish we’d played higher up the pitch and put them under more pressure.

“When we had the chances to score the second goal, we didn’t take them. But I really believe we played a good game, and we probably created more chances than them.”

Manchester City won their first silverware of the campaign as Pep Guardiola’s side survived a sloppy start to triumph on spot-kicks against Sevilla and lift the UEFA Super Cup.

Having lost the Community Shield to Arsenal on penalties 10 days ago, last season’s swashbuckling treble winners initially wilted in the Greek heat versus the Europa League holders.

Youssef En-Nesyri put Sevilla ahead and City rode their luck, only to draw level through Cole Palmer’s looping header as their maiden Super Cup appearance ended 1-1 after 90 minutes and went to a shoot-out.

The first nine penalty takers all converted before Nemanja Gudelj smashed his effort off the crossbar, seeing Guardiola’s Champions League winners triumph 5-4 on spot-kicks in Piraeus.

The Spaniard became the first manager to win the Super Cup with three different teams and equalled Carlo Ancelotti’s record of four competition victories as coach.

City are the sixth English side to lift the trophy but were made to sweat by Jose Luis Mendilibar’s Sevilla, who went ahead through En-Nesyri’s powerful first-half header.

The LaLiga outfit could easily have grabbed a second during a strong start to the second period, only for man of the match Palmer to equalise with a header.

Sevilla survived a late City onslaught but could not avoid a sixth straight Super Cup defeat as the match passed midnight in Greece and went to penalties at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium.

Pep Guardiola is determined to cap Manchester City’s “extraordinary” Champions League triumph by winning a first ever UEFA Super Cup.

Last season’s treble-clinching victory against Inter Milan secured Wednesday’s clash against Europa League victors Sevilla at Olympiacos’ Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in Greece.

Guardiola can become the first manager to win the competition with three different clubs but this is a first taste of Super Cup action for City.

“To be here in this press conference ahead of tomorrow you have to do two extraordinary things: win the Champions League or Europa League,” he said in Piraeus.

“I have to say this is not easy. Maybe for Sevilla it’s easier because they have won a lot of Europa Leagues. I remember once when they beat Barcelona 3-0 in the Super Cup.

“They have a special character. The resilience in the bad moments, to play the finals. It’s not always necessary to play top level always but they have something in their DNA that makes this team and this club different.

“They are mentally so strong but you cannot imagine how incredibly happy we are to be here, to play this game because you have to win the Champions League.

“This is an opportunity we want to take because who knows when we will be back here to play this tournament.”

Sevilla won on their Super Cup debut in 2006 but the perennial Europa League winners are now looking to avoid a sixth straight defeat on this stage.

There are a number of familiar faces in Jose Luis Mendilibar’s squad, including former City players Fernando and Jesus Navas.

“Knowing what I know now, maybe I would have extended the contract when we were together after the first season,” Guardiola said of Sevilla captain Navas.

“We took a decision because we were an old team in that period. We needed to refresh mentally the team. That’s why we make in that year a lot of changes.

“But it’s incredible for him to be at 37, 38 playing and I know how committed he is to his club, captain of Sevilla. I am really pleased to see him tomorrow and say hi to him.”

City are looking to lift their first silverware of the season having lost the Community Shield on penalties to Arsenal.

Stefan Ortega started that match and the back-up goalkeeper is expected to get the nod in Piraeus amid interest from German giants Bayern Munich.

“It would be a problem to lose him first of all because of the quality,” Guardiola said of Ortega, who joined from Arminia Bielefeld last summer.

“We bring him here because (head of goalkeeping) Xabi Mancisidor sent me the clips and said ‘this is a keeper that maybe we need’.

“I didn’t know him. He was playing for a side relegated from the Bundesliga and I saw him and said ‘ah, looks good’. But since day one I said ‘what a keeper we have’.

“You know how many important games he played and how he saved us. We don’t want to sell him, we don’t want to loan him. We need him.

“But like many cases it depends on three parts because after that if we lose Stefan two weeks out (from the end of) the market, we have to go pick up a keeper and it’s not easy now.

“You have to pay transfer (fee) and it’s not easy. We want him. I am sorry but we want him.”

Midfielder Kevin De Bruyne was the most notable absentee from the travelling party for Manchester City’s UEFA Super Cup clash with Seville after being struck down by a hamstring injury.

De Bruyne limped out of Friday night’s 3-0 Premier League win at promoted Burnley with a recurrence of the problem which prompted his early withdrawal from last season’s Champions League final, and City boss Pep Guardiola later revealed the 32-year-old Belgium international would be sidelined for “a few weeks”.

The club is yet to provide an update on the severity of the damage, but the midfielder’s name was conspicuous by its absence from the 22-man squad list for Wednesday night’s game in Athens when it was published on City’s official website on Monday afternoon.

De Bruyne has been one of City’s key performers since his £55million arrival from Wolfsburg in August 2015, and is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished midfielders in world football.

There was no place either for midfielder Bernardo Silva, the only other member of the matchday squad at Burnley who was not included, or central defender Ruben Dias, who was not involved in the opening league fixture under concussion protocols.

Kalvin Phillips and Jack Grealish, who were unused substitutes at Turf Moor, did make it, as did the versatile John Stones, who sat out on Friday evening through injury.

Squad (in number order): Kyle Walker, Kalvin Phillips, John Stones, Nathan Ake, Mateo Kovacic, Erling Haaland, Jack Grealish, Aymeric Laporte, Rodrigo, Stefan Ortega Moreno, Julian Alvarez, Sergio Gomez, Josko Gvardiol, Manuel Akanji, Ederson, Maximo Perrone, Scott Carson, Phil Foden, Oscar Bobb, Cole Palmer, Rico Lewis, James McAtee.

UEFA has confirmed format changes to both the Nations League and qualifiers for the European Championships and World Cup.

The changes to the Nations League, which began in 2018, include an additional knock-out element, with League A group winners and runners-up taking part in two-legged quarter-finals.

Teams that finish third in League A and League B will face off against the runners-up of League B and League C in two-legged promotion/relegation play-offs.

Changes to qualifying for European Championships and World Cups will now see 12 groups of either four or five teams drawn, with group winners qualifying and runners-up either also qualifying or entering play-offs.

"The introduction of the UEFA Nations League was a success story, replacing friendly games with more competitive matches," said UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin. 

"And now, by introducing the new knock-out phase, teams will be given even more opportunities to progress while keeping the same number of games within the international match calendar.

"The predictability of the European Qualifiers has also been addressed and tackled, with a fresh new format that will offer all the teams an equal chance to qualify for major tournaments."

The amendments to qualifying will come into effect after Euro 2024.

It was also decided at an Executive Committee meeting on Wednesday that next season's UEFA Super Cup will be moved from its original host city of Kazan in Russia to Athens, Greece.

UEFA confirmed that the game between the winners of the Champions League and the winners of the Europa League will be played at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in the Greek capital on August 16.

UEFA has confirmed the Champions League and other European club competitions will feature in the Football Manager video game series for the first time this year.

The latest instalment of Sports Interactive and SEGA's hugely popular series, Football Manager 2023, will be released on November 8.

Players will now be able to compete in fully licenced editions of the Champions League, Europa League, Europa Conference League and Super Cup, while the Women's Champions League will appear in a future version of the game.

Sports Interactive's studio director Miles Jacobsen revealed last July that the game's creators plan to introduce women's football in the future.

A UEFA press release read: "The UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Europa Conference League and UEFA Super Cup will feature for the first time ever in Sports Interactive's and SEGA's iconic series, Football Manager. 

"Although it will not feature in Football Manager 2023, the flagship women’s football club competition, the UEFA Women's Champions League, is also included in the licencing agreement and will debut in a future version of the game."

Jacobsen said: "Adding these historic competitions is an ideal fit for all parties involved and will add another dynamic and challenging element for fans that makes this year's edition the most realistic football management simulation available."

Real Madrid were simply "on another level" to Eintracht Frankfurt, according to head coach Oliver Glasner, who nevertheless demanded his team find a way to improve further.

Glasner's Eintracht side were comfortably beaten 2-0 by the Champions League winners in the Super Cup on Wednesday.

David Alaba put Madrid ahead in the first half at Helsinki Olympic Stadium, before Karim Benzema netted midway through the second half to put the result to bed.

In the process, Benzema became Madrid's outright second-highest goalscorer, having scored 324 times for Los Blancos.

While Glasner did not believe his side delivered the "special" defensive performance he asked for before the game, he knows Madrid are a difficult team to match.

"I think we improved from the last game [a 6-1 defeat to Bayern Munich], but you can't give Madrid two chances," Glasner told a news conference.

"The team did it well most of the time. After that, it was difficult and, in the end, Real Madrid was the better team and they deserved the win."

He added: "I think you could see we had defensive stability for many periods today. The last ball, the last pass, did not come enough.

"We want to improve, we need to improve at this, but the performance today left me quite optimistic. We've seen at this level, this kind of opponent, it's not quite enough.

"It's nagging at me, but I have to accept it and it's important now to have that ambition, the whole team, club and staff to work really hard to make that one step closer to such teams. Real Madrid are on another level. We knew that beforehand, but I am not like that, I want to improve.

"I think all of us, the whole team, we played at our highest level. The fact is that it wasn't enough against Real Madrid. Now it's about pushing our personal level a little higher, as a team. That is the task that is presented to us right now. If all of my players are as motivated as I have seen, we will increase our level."

Eintracht were without Filip Kostic, with the wing-back on the verge of moving to Juventus. Nevertheless, they had some good opportunities, particularly early on, when Daichi Kamada forced a fine stop out of Thibaut Courtois, who has saved all 19 shots on goal he has faced from opposition players in his four finals with Madrid in domestic and UEFA competitions.

"It was a decisive situation. I don't know if it would have been enough but, of course, it would have been easier to lead the game at 1-0," Glasner said.

"Against teams like Real Madrid, Bayern, Barcelona, you have to create your chances when you get them. How early Courtois sees where Kamada would put the ball was really world class. He showed this in the Champions League final against Liverpool."

Casemiro has crowned team-mates Luka Modric and Toni Kroos as "possibly the best two midfielders in the world".

Madrid ran out 2-0 winners over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Super Cup on Wednesday, thanks to goals from David Alaba and Karim Benzema.

Carlo Ancelotti stuck with the same line-up that had started against Liverpool in May's Champions League final, and midfield trio Casemiro, Kroos and Modric turned in a supreme display.

Modric, the 2018 Ballon d'Or winner, completed 53 of 57 passes (93 per cent) and laid on two chances for team-mates in Helsinki, while Kroos enjoyed 120 touches, completed 97 passes and gained possession nine times.

Only UEFA's man of the match Casemiro (10) bettered that latter figure, and the Brazil international also went close to a spectacular goal when he rattled the crossbar from long range on his weaker left foot – that shot was teed up by Modric.

The trio's performances led Carlo Ancelotti to highlight Madrid's experience as a crucial factor in their victory after full-time, and Casemiro knows he is playing with two of the best in the business.

"We know each other just by looking at one another," he told a post-match news conference.

"I've got an easy job, we're talking about Kroos and Modric who are possibly the best two midfielders in the world. 

"There are things in football that cannot be explained, some things just happen in football. I hope we'll continue to be together for a long time to come."

While Madrid's thrilling 2021-22 Champions League triumph saw several energetic cameos by young midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, the 14-time European champions have further bolstered that area of the pitch with the recent acquisition of Aurelien Tchouameni from Monaco.

Casemiro welcomes the competition provided by the 22-year-old's arrival and has high hopes for the France international.

"It hasn't annoyed me, everyone knows about my character and loyalty for this club, I'll be working in the same way," Casemiro said.

"You only see the 90 minutes but I'll keep making sacrifices, including on the pitch and in training.

"I think Tchouameni is a top player, this club speaks for itself – everybody gives their all. All I can say to him is keep doing what he's doing, keep showing in training and do it out on the pitch."

Carlo Ancelotti had little hesitancy in hailing Real Madrid superstar Karim Benzema as the best player in world football.

Benzema scored Madrid's second goal in a 2-0 Super Cup triumph over Eintracht Frankfurt at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium.

In the process, he became the club's outright second-highest goalscorer, having netted for the 324th time for Madrid.

That nudged the 34-year-old – who has replaced the departed Marcelo as Madrid's club captain – ahead of Los Blancos great Raul, with only Cristiano Ronaldo (450) ahead of him in the record books.

Since the start of last season, Benzema has scored 45 goals in all competitions for Madrid. That is a tally bettered only by new Barcelona forward Robert Lewandowski (50), when it comes to players from Europe's top five leagues.

With this year's Ballon d'Or awards taking place prior to the World Cup, Benzema seems a certainty to be in the running for the prize.

In a pre-match media briefing on Tuesday, Benzema explained that it was not for him to say if he is the world's best, but instead he would leave it up to others to decide. 

Asked in his post-match news conference if Benzema – who had four shots and created three chances in Madrid's win on Wednesday - could be considered the best player on the planet, Ancelotti was effusive in his reply.

"I think [he is the best], yes," Ancelotti said. "He is our most important player right now, the most efficient player in the world at this moment.

"Karim was the most important in the Champions League, even though he did not score in the final, because of his [all-round] game and his goals got us to the final, against Manchester City and Chelsea, against Paris Saint-Germain.

"He's very important for us. There is no doubt, at the moment, that he is the best player in the world."

As well as hailing a standout individual in Benzema, Ancelotti - the first coach to win the Super Cup on four separate occasions - said this Madrid dressing room is the best he has worked with in his illustrious career.

"Yes, absolutely, no doubt about that," the Italian explained. "It is a pleasure to coach this group, it's a healthy atmosphere, good vibes between everyone, winning games and having success helps, but it all about the players."