Media attention has increased on the young winger, who only turned 18 in July, and Mbappé has urged his detractors to leave the Barca star alone as he continues to establish himself as one of the best footballers in the world.
Mbappé has implored his critics to leave Yamal alone, as the spotlight continues to shine on the Barcelona star. Yamal won the 2025 Kopa Trophy at the Ballon d'Or ceremony last month, being named the best under-21 player in world football for the second year in a row.
However, his meteoric rise to stardom caused Yamal to become the subject of intense media attention on private matters. Some media outlets chose to focus on the Spanish star's love life, while others delved deeper into her romantic relationships.
Furthermore, Yamal is entangled in a standoff between his club and his country regarding his physical condition. The youngster was called up to the Spain squad for World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Bulgaria this month, before being withdrawn following protests from FC Barcelona coach Hansi Flick, who criticized the national team for their handling of the star striker.
Yamal only recently returned to action after suffering a groin injury during his match against Spain last month, preventing him from victories against Valencia, Newcastle, Getafe and Real Oviedo.
And Real Madrid star Mbappé came to Yamal's defense, telling Jorge Valdano in an interview broadcast on Sunday on Movistar, via ESPN: ” We can see that (Lamine) has a passion for football and that’s the only thing he must not lose. »
“The rest is his life. “We talk about his private life, but I think it's better to leave him alone.
Yamal started the La Liga season strongly, scoring two goals and providing two assists in their first three league games. Suffering from a groin injury with Spain last month, Yamal has made just one league appearance since the 1-1 draw with Rayo Vallecano in August, coming on as a substitute in the 2-1 home win over Real Sociedad last month.
And Mbappé, revealed at 16 with Monaco, encouraged Yamal, who started at just 15 in 2023, to learn from his mistakes.
At 18, everyone makes mistakes.
“(Lamine) is a great footballer, but in life, he is an 18-year-old kid », added Mbappé.
“At 18, everyone makes mistakes. He will live his life. You just have to look at what he does on the pitch. The rest doesn't matter, as long as it's not serious. » He is a player with great talent.
Mbappé and Real Madrid experienced a war of form similar to that of Yamal and Barcelona. The former was called up to the France squad for World Cup qualifying matches against Azerbaijan and Iceland this month, despite suffering an ankle injury against Villarreal last weekend.
Mbappé injures ankle in France's win over Azerbaijan
Despite this, Mbappé started Friday's match against Azerbaijan, scoring the opener just before half-time, taking his run of goals for club and country to 10 games, before setting up Adrien Rabiot midway through the second half to give France a 3-0 home win.
Mbappé, however, had to leave the field in the 83rd minute after jamming his ankle during a tackle with Abdulla Xaybulayev. If the French captain left the field cautiously, the club and the selection are anxiously waiting to know the seriousness of the injury.
Regarding this injury, the coach of the French team, Didier Deschamps, declared after the victory against Azerbaijan: “ It's the same ankle. Where he got hurt. The pain diminishes with rest. In matches, contact is inevitable. We will assess the situation. His embarrassment is not ideal for him.
The Blues face Iceland on Monday evening and a victory in Reykjavik would almost confirm France's qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
