Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe added more fuel to the fire at the Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday night, as the crisis continues to spiral in the white half of Madrid. Mbappe’s open criticism of manager Alvaro Arbeloa, and claims denied by Arbeloa took little time to travel the world.
Mbappe has come in for plenty of criticism in recent weeks, with some questioning his commitment after arriving back in Madrid 12 minutes before his side kicked off in a crucial game against Espanyol. The following week he was supposed to be on the bench in El Clasico, but surprisingly was absent from the squad entirely.
On Thursday, Mbappe claimed that Arbeloa had told him he was the fourth forward in the squad, and said that the side had lost order in the second half of the season. In the second half of their 2-0 win over Real Oviedo, Mbappe came off the bench and was loudly whistled by the Bernabeu.
Florentino Perez to meet with Kylian Mbappe over behaviour
As reported by Diario AS, Real Madrid President Florentino Perez is set to meet with Mbappe over his behaviour. Perez had already planned to do so, in what was to be a gentle nudge in the right direction over some minor indisgressions before he went to the World Cup, has now become a matter of urgency. The Real Madrid President and the rest of the board are now worried by his public gestures, and his general attitude, as well as his distancing from teammates.
Perez will sit down with Mbappe and find out his intentions for next season, and look to impose more discipline on the France captain. While Perez stated on Wednesday that Mbappe was Real Madrid’s best player, it was also noted that ‘nobody is irreplaceable’.
The motives behind Mbappe’s post-game comments
It has been reported that Mbappe spoke to the press in order to respond to Arbeloa, with whom his relationship has deteriorated over recent weeks due to three key incidents. In addition, Mbappe has on multiple occasions hinted that he was happy under Xabi Alonso earlier in the season, and hinted that he did not agree with the decision to sack him.
