Idman.biz
French forward Kylian Mbappe openly explained why he was benched after Real Madrid's 2-0 victory over Oviedo in the Spanish La Liga, drawing a sharp reaction from the Madrid team's head coach, Alvaro Arbeloa.
Idman.Biz reports with reference to Reuters that Real Madrid fans whistled at the French player who entered the field in the 69th minute, replacing Gonzalo Garcia. After the game, the forward criticized the coach's decisions several times in a conversation with journalists.
"Why didn't I start? Ask the coach. I am 100 percent healthy and ready to play in the starting lineup. But the coach said that I am the fourth striker in the squad after Gonzalo, Vinicius, and Mastantuono. I will have to work hard in training to be better than Gonzalo, Mastantuono, and Vini," Mbappe said.
The French footballer did not stop there and hinted at problems within the team after Xabi Alonso's departure.
"My relationship with Xabi was excellent. Everyone knows that. At the beginning of the season, we had a style of play and structure, but then we lost everything in the second half of the season. I won't name any names. I am only thinking about the club," the forward said.
Mbappe made another harsh statement when talking about the criticism surrounding his playing time.
"In the first half of the season, people said that I was playing too much and needed to rest. Now they say that I don't want to play. So what does that mean? They need to make up their minds," the footballer noted.
The French footballer also recalled Real Madrid's defeat in the Copa del Rey.
"They told me that there was no point in playing 90 minutes in every match. Then we went to the Copa del Rey game against Albacete, I didn't play, and we stopped fighting," Mbappe said.
In addition, the forward commented on his trip to Italy during his recovery from injury. Earlier, it was reported that the French footballer was vacationing there with actress Ester Exposito, and some Real Madrid players and fans were unhappy with Mbappe's behavior.
"The club gave permission, and I was not the only footballer who left Spain," Mbappe emphasized.
It should be noted that the 27-year-old forward is recovering from a hamstring injury he sustained in April. He has played 42 games in all competitions this season, scoring 41 goals and providing seven assists.
