Controversy is mounting in the Spanish media over French star Kylian Mbappé’s performance following his return from injury.
Mbappé returned to Real Madrid’s starting line-up for the match against Real Mallorca after missing time due to a knee injury, but the game ended in a 2-1 defeat for Los Blancos, widening the gap with leaders Barcelona to seven points and increasing the pressure on the French striker, who failed to score despite numerous attempts.
Although Mbappé’s performance was not poor, some Spanish journalists have expressed impatience with his lack of defensive effort, arguing that the player has not yet adapted to Real Madrid’s philosophy.
The renowned journalist Josep Pedrerol, presenter of the programme “El Chiringuito”, called on manager Álvaro Arbeloa to criticise the player harshly for his lack of defensive commitment, just as Luis Enrique did during his time at Paris Saint-Germain.
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He doesn’t know what Real Madrid is
He said on his programme: “Mbappé is a brilliant player, but he hasn’t yet grasped the greatness of Real Madrid and what that badge represents. It is unacceptable to be lax in running or performing defensive duties.”
Pedrerol recalled the famous speech delivered by former Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique to Mbappé, when he demanded that he be a true leader who defends his team just as basketball legend Michael Jordan did.
He emphasised that the Real Madrid fans are expecting a “real awakening” from the player and greater intelligence in dealing with the demands of the white shirt.
The team needs him
In contrast, the Spanish newspaper Marca adopted a more balanced stance, noting that Real Madrid had shown an ability to achieve positive results even in Mbappé’s absence, but emphasised at the same time that the team needs his goals in the decisive stages of the season.
The newspaper wrote: “Mbappé hasn’t scored – it’s unbelievable. Real Madrid need his goals. In fact, the team seemed to thrive in his presence. But his injury has also shown that the team is capable of coping without him.”
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She added, “Mbappé didn’t feature in the five consecutive wins (apart from a few minutes against Atlético), yet the team continued to succeed. It’s not that Mbappé played badly, but he wasn’t exceptional either—nor was he poor.”
This debate comes at a sensitive time for Real Madrid, who are looking to salvage their season via the Champions League, amid expectations that Mbappé’s performances in the coming weeks will be decisive in determining the success of his first spell in the club’s colours.