Alvaro Arbeloa vs. Kylian Mbappé: A new rivalry within the Real Madrid dressing room?!
- Anweshan Ghosh
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
It seems Real Madrid cannot keep themselves away from controversies right now, as Kylian Mbappé made an explosive rant about Álvaro Arbeloa in a post-match interview after he was left out of the starting lineup for their 2-0 win over Real Oviedo. The Frenchman was jeered and booed when he came on from the bench by the Madrid fans when he entered the Bernabéu pitch on Thursday.
Mbappé had missed the previous two league games as he suffered a thigh injury, including the El Clásico where FC Barcelona clinched their 29th league title on the heads of their arch rivals. The 27-year-old has faced a lot of criticism in the past few weeks over his commitment to the club as he was seen on a vacation with his rumoured girlfriend while the dressing room was in turmoil. An online petition titled “Mbappe Out” also surfaced last week, which gained over 50 million signatures in just two days.
Following the game against Oviedo, Mbappe said, "I'm 100% fine.”
He added, "I haven't played because for the coach I've been the fourth striker in the squad behind Mastantuono, Vini and Gonzalo. I was ready to start; it's his decision (manager Alvaro Arbeloa), and it always has to be respected.” (sic)
"I have no problem at all with Arbeloa. You have to accept the coach's philosophy and I have to do better to play ahead of Vini, Gonzalo and Mastantuono.” (sic)
The Frenchman lashed out at the manager and alleged that Arbeloa had made him the fourth-choice striker at the club, which was later rebuffed by the Real Madrid boss. The Spaniard added that Mbappé had missed the crucial game against Barcelona and didn't have enough match fitness to start the game.
"I had a conversation with him before the game, and I don't know what he could have interpreted," Arbeloa said. (sic)
He added, "For me it is very clear that a player who four days ago could not be on the bench today should not start. (sic)
Real Madrid is one of the biggest football clubs in the world, and here the expectations are always sky high. They have endured consecutive poor seasons, finishing trophyless, and this season things have been worse, as there has been no unity in the squad, players turning and fighting amongst themselves and then the humiliating El Clasico defeat which handed Barcelona the league title over their heads. Club president Florentino Perez’s press conference added more fuel to the fire as he took a dig at others trying to undermine the club instead of taking a step against the club's internal politics.
The fans made their frustrations understood when they jeered the club's top scorer Kylian Mbappé when he was coming off the bench. The criticism was mainly because the fans were not impressed by the fact that Mbappé chose to be on a vacation in Sardinia when the player was given some time off by the club to recover. The supporters were also not happy with Florentino Perez's press conference the last day and held banners stating, “Florentino Go Now", which was later removed by the security personnel inside the Bernabeu.
However, Mbappé appeared to be smiling when the fans were jeering him and later laughed about it when the reporters asked for his reaction.
"The whistles – that's life; you can't change the opinion of the people when they are angry. It's the life of a Real Madrid player and a famous player like me,” said Mbappe. (sic)
He added, "Footballers don't always have to understand; they have to accept and look forward and change the situation.” (sic)
Alvaro Arbeloa, who has often been criticised for taking the blame on behalf of the players after poor performances, finally seemed to speak up for himself following the game. The Spanish international, who is rumoured to be leaving his role after the next game, hit back, declaring that he is the one with the final say in the team selection and no one can challenge him in this regard.
“I decide; I’m the coach. I spoke with him earlier, and I don’t know how he might have interpreted it. He shouldn’t have started today because it’s not a matter of life or death. We have a match on Sunday, and he’ll definitely be the starting striker,” said Arbeloa. (sic)
He added, “Seven days later, he’ll have earned his place as the starting striker. I decide who plays. I understand that whoever isn’t playing isn’t happy. I can understand that he’s not happy, but it’s a decision based on the circumstances. I didn’t want to take any risks. It was the most logical, common-sense thing to do.” (sic)
Comments