José Mourinho hits back at the “Mbappé” controversy

José Mourinho, Real Madrid’s coach, held court at Valdebebas after 18 days away from the press conference and went hard at what he called the “ridiculous” situation around Kylian Mbappé. During his breakdown of the international-break period, he argued that the club’s internal matters—injuries assessed at Valdebebas and squad management—are not comparable to controversies he referenced elsewhere.

His defense and the “ridiculous” claim

Mourinho was blunt about the media storm: “Me parece ridículo lo que se ha montado con Mbappé”. He also said Mbappé consulted externally over a knee problem and that, in his words, there was full match between the Madrid diagnosis and the one from Mbappé’s side.

Line-up talk and team balance

On preparation, Mourinho said the club can improve things step by step and that with just a couple of days he can’t radically overhaul the approach. He also refused to reveal whether Mbappé will play, saying he won’t name the starting XI, while stressing that the team can rotate roles as long as the balance and controlled risks are kept.

He added that when a Real Madrid player fails on responsibilities, he won’t sit on the bench—and that if a player starts, it’s because he believes they haven’t fallen short.