Mbappé under fire: Real Madrid talks of a campaign

Kylian Mbappé and Real Madrid are in the middle of another wave of controversy over the French forward’s trip to Paris and Switzerland while injured. The criticism—especially from Madrid supporters—targets the fact that he didn’t stay in Valdebebas recovering from the knee injury he sustained in the match between Turkey and France.

Real Madrid says it doesn’t understand the scale of the backlash and believes there is a campaign against Mbappé aimed at discrediting him and turning the fans against him. The club insists the break was agreed, that he had permission, and that—according to the team—he kept working on his recovery during those days.

The controversy over his bike ride is also seen internally as blown out of proportion. Mbappé arrived in Madrid this morning while his teammates trained at Valdebebas, and he’s expected to go to work there tomorrow, Tuesday. The club also hasn’t ruled out that he could be available for the 10 October home match against Villarreal at the Bernabéu (21:00), as reported by Mundo Deportivo.