Real Madrid fans are fed up with Kylian Mbappé. The Frenchman is held responsible for Real Madrid’s trophy drought this season, and also caused bad blood by going on holiday with his new girlfriend. A petition has been started to demand his departure. And as if that wasn’t enough, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Federico Valverde also got into each other’s throats.
Jeffrey van der Maten
Sports editor
That petition, called ‘Mbappé out’, has now been signed more than 19 million times. The goal was to collect 200,000 digital scribbles. ‘Madridistas, make your voice heard. “If you believe change is needed, don’t remain silent – sign this petition and stand up for what you believe is best for the future of the club,” it said.
Real Madrid is missing out on all the prizes this season. In the Champions League the quarter finals were the final destination (against Bayern Munich), in the Copa del Rey an embarrassing defeat was suffered against Albacete and in La Liga the title goes to rival FC Barcelona. The Catalans can even decide the title battle on Sunday evening El Clasico.
Only one prize
Star player Kylian Mbappé has not sufficiently guided his team this season, fans believe. Although the 27-year-old Frenchman has already scored 41 times in all competitions, according to them, he does not leave his mark on the game enough. In two seasons at Real, after arriving from Paris Saint-Germain, he only won the European Super Cup in 2025.
In addition, the attacker has come under fire because of a trip to Sardinia, Italy. The injured attacker was there last weekend with his new girlfriend Ester Exposito, a well-known actress. Incomprehensible, say fans, because he was not present at the match against Espanyol and is not working sufficiently on a quick recovery.
This also leads to frustration among his teammates, French knows L’Équipe. They would be bothered by the privileges that Mbappé enjoys in Madrid. For example, he allegedly arrived 40 minutes late for lunch and behaved disrespectfully towards someone from the technical staff.
Mbappé is said to only have a good relationship with his French teammates from Real Madrid. “He is becoming increasingly isolated in the group of players,” the French newspaper said. He is also said to have a bad relationship with the trainers of the top club.
Camp Mbappé’s response
Reason for Mbappé’s entourage to respond to the commotion that has arisen. They did not agree with the criticism. “This does not reflect the reality of Kylian’s daily commitment and his work for the team,” they said in conversation with the AFP news agency.
The Mbappé camp states that Real Madrid agreed to the striker’s trip. However, that is not acceptable to the supporters. They are completely done with their injured attack leader. And with a decisive Clásico in battle for the national title coming up…
Arguing teammates
Things are not going smoothly at Real Madrid either. Tchouaméni and Valverde were at each other’s throats during training. Marca described the incident. ‘A foul sparked one of the most heated arguments ever seen at Real’s training centre. The two players stood directly opposite each other, pushed each other and had an argument that extended into the locker room.’
And the arguing continues Marca beyond the two upheavals. Some players hardly speak to each other anymore and six players would refuse to speak to Alvaro Arbeloa.
Arbeloa must have imagined things differently when he took over from the fired Xabi Alonso in January… Florentino Pérez is now thinking of José Mourinho for next season. Can ‘The Special One’ bring Mbappé and co into line?
La Liga programme
