One month before the World Cup, Kylian Mbappé returned to the field. Returning to training this week after being hampered by a muscle injury, the captain of the Blues replayed around twenty minutes against Oviedo. We can’t really say that his return has triggered collective hysteria among Madrid supporters.
His entry into play in the 69th minute was instead escorted by a wave of whistles, while many fans today point to him as one of the main culprits for their club’s problems. After the victory of the Madrilenians, to which he also contributed with a decisive pass for Bellingham (2-0), the captain of the Blues spoke to the press.
He says he was available to start tonight
“I have no problem with Arbeloahe clarified. He told me tonight that I was the fourth striker in the team behind Vini, Gonzalo and Mastantuono. You have to respect the coach’s decision. Everyone has their own ideas and their own philosophy. I have to work to be better than them in order to have the best playing time. I accept it and I play the time I am given. I made an assist to Jude and you always have to stay positive (…) I was ready to start. I don’t blame the coach, I will work hard to get my place back in the starting XI“, he added before continuing.
He also reaffirmed his admiration for his coach’s predecessor, Xabi Alonso. “I have an excellent relationship with Xabi. It belongs to the past. Everyone knows what I think of him. But we have to look to the future, to what we can improve and do better.” Regarding the whistles against him, and the criticism born from his Italian escapade during his injury, Mbappé reacted: “you can have one opinion and I have another. What if I made a mistake going to Italy? I made a mistake by not winning any titles this season. It’s frustrating because we had the opportunity to do better. We demonstrated it at the start of the season. It’s not Real Madrid. Real Madrid must always win. Words which are already making the headlines on Spanish sites this evening. Especially since Arbeloa denied them a few minutes later…
