Jose Mourinho has confirmed Kylian Mbappe will start for Real Madrid against Villarreal on Saturday and dismissed criticism of the forward’s conduct during his recovery from injury as “ridiculous”.
Mbappe travelled to Paris and Switzerland during the international break after sustaining an injury while playing for France on 25 September. Photographs and social media posts from the trips prompted questions about his commitment to his recovery, particularly after Mourinho had previously cited cycling as an activity footballers should avoid while injured.
The Real Madrid manager insisted the forward had followed the club’s medical advice and fulfilled his responsibilities. He also suggested that criticism of Mbappe was being used to turn supporters against him ahead of the Villarreal match at the Bernabéu.
“You don’t have to be Einstein to see that this is the objective,” Mourinho said. “I hope the Bernabeu can be fair, and that means being intelligent, being able to read between the lines.”
Mourinho said Mbappe had undergone an assessment at the club’s Valdebebas training ground before consulting an external specialist because of the history of his knee problems. The two assessments had agreed on his diagnosis, he added.
“In terms of his recovery, you don’t have to know all the details. But then we get into the area of looking for problems,” he said.
The manager also defended the forward’s choice of destinations. He described the Paris venue as a private event rather than a functioning nightclub and said Mbappe’s accommodation in Switzerland offered a quiet environment.
Mourinho expressed frustration that questions about the forward had dominated his news conference when Real Madrid face an important league fixture. He cited Manchester City’s financial case, the long-running Negreira affair involving Barcelona and the dispute between Cristiano Ronaldo and his coach in Portugal as more substantial issues in football.
“It’s ridiculous,” he said of the scrutiny surrounding Mbappe. “I thought there were enough real ‘cases’ in the football world in the last few weeks, but it seems like they weren’t enough.”
The defence comes at a significant point in Madrid’s season. They are six points behind Barcelona and face a demanding October schedule that includes the clásico at Camp Nou on 25 October.
Mbappe has continued to score regularly since joining Madrid but has yet to win a major trophy with the club. His injury-related absences and trips away from Madrid have also drawn attention because of a similar episode late last season, when he was photographed on a yacht while his teammates continued their title campaign.
Mourinho said he would not hesitate to leave a player out if he believed they had failed to meet the club’s standards.
“One thing I promise is that when a Real Madrid player doesn’t behave like a Real Madrid player, they won’t see that player on the bench,” he said. “So tomorrow Mbappe will play. He won’t be on the bench, and if he plays, it’s because I’m sure that he hasn’t failed Real Madrid. He hasn’t failed to fulfil his obligations.”
