José Mourinho has described the scrutiny of Kylian Mbappé during the international break as “ridiculous”, defending his Real Madrid player over how he spent his time away from the club.
The France captain withdrew from international duty after picking up an injury against Turkey on 25 September. He later shared images on social media from a Paris Fashion Week event and of himself riding a bicycle — activity Mourinho had previously said was against his rules.
Addressing the situation, Mourinho said: “When it comes to Real Madrid, it’s always different. But all the players did exactly what they were supposed to during the break. And then you always want to look for more problems and issues.”
He went on to set out the standard he expects of his squad, promising consequences for anyone who falls short of it. “What I can promise is when a Real Madrid player doesn’t behave the way a Real Madrid player is supposed to and when he fails at that and he stops being a Real Madrid player for 24 hours, you will not see that player on the bench because he will be at home,” he said.
Mourinho also said the image of Mbappé riding a bike in Switzerland had been misrepresented, explaining that bicycles were available for guests at his hotel complex to use for short journeys.
Asked whether the coverage of Mbappé had been exaggerated, he replied: “Exaggerated, no – I think it was ridiculous.” On whether the forward would feature in the next match, he added: “If Mbappe plays tomorrow, it’s because he hasn’t failed Real Madrid and he hasn’t failed to fulfil his obligations to the club.”
The episode comes with Real Madrid six points behind leaders Barcelona in the La Liga table after seven games. Mbappé, 27, is one of the favourites to win this year’s Ballon d’Or. He scored 42 goals in 44 games for his club last season, but they did not win any trophies, and he won the World Cup Golden Boot with 10 goals, taking his career tally at World Cups to a record 22, although France finished fourth.