Even Mourinho failed to tame him: Mbappé puts Real Madrid in a public relations predicament

Inside the corridors of Real Madrid, the official line never wavers: "Mbappé has the club's approval for everything he does". But that account no longer convinces the Merengue faithful. They see a player acting as he pleases, isolated from the team and sometimes even cut off from his national side.

Every move off the pitch becomes a story that stokes concern, all the more so as results have slipped in recent years.

Mbappé arrived in the summer of 2024 as the "missing piece" for a side that had just lifted its fifteenth Champions League title. The numbers prove he is an exceptional goalscorer. Yet those goals have brought no major trophy, and Real Madrid are no better a team for them. Their stars have actually dropped off, chief among them Vinícius Júnior, who looks a world away from the player who nearly won the Ballon d'Or.

The latest source of discontent was the way Mbappé recovered from his recent injury, which he sustained during the match against Turkey.

His teammates all go through their rehabilitation programmes inside Valdebebas. The Frenchman did things differently. He limited himself to medical examinations lasting no more than half an hour at the club's facilities the day after the injury, then continued his recovery remotely. The move was read as a clear misunderstanding and sparked scathing criticism in the Madrid media and on social media.

Making matters worse, videos surfaced on Sunday of Mbappé riding a bicycle, just days after Mourinho warned his professionals: "You can't ride a bicycle." The Portuguese coach aimed the comment generally rather than at Mbappé directly. But the timing reignited the debate over the Frenchman's commitment.

Right now, Mourinho's biggest bet is to coax the best out of the Mbappé and Vinícius duo, something his predecessors never managed.

Changing the coach, though, has not ended the debate. Fans demand from the striker what the statistics never show: commitment, leadership and the willingness to carry the team in difficult times. It all comes back to his famous line to Raúl Asencio, "You are a Real Madrid player around the clock," a message many believe only ever reaches those at the bottom of the pyramid.

The controversy surrounding Mbappé is nothing new. In October 2024, months after his arrival, cameras caught him at a Stockholm nightclub during an international break he had missed with a muscular injury.

Last March, he flew to Paris to see a specialist about his knee while the team met its commitments. The pictures of his dinners with his partner overshadowed the medical trip.

Things boiled over when reports claimed the medical staff had examined the wrong knee. Mbappé denied it publicly on 25 March: "The information claiming they examined the wrong knee is incorrect," though he admitted poor communication had fuelled the misunderstanding.

The most embarrassing image arrived last May. A photographer snapped him aboard a yacht in Sardinia with his partner during a break for a muscular injury, while his teammates fought to delay Barcelona's title party ahead of a decisive Clásico. That snapshot dragged the theory of his "disappearing at crucial moments" back into the open.

Missing pivotal matches only sharpened the knives. He sat out the Copa del Rey exit against Albacete in January, Arbeloa's first game, and skipped the fixture on 10 May.

Then came the public bust-up after the Oviedo match on 14 May. Mbappé justified being left out by saying Arbeloa had told him he was the fourth striker. The coach denied it.

Even the Bernabéu turned on him, jeers raining down against Alavés on 21 April after the European exit to Bayern Munich.

His comments on 7 September confirmed the rift still runs deep. He asked why only he and Vinícius were being singled out over defensive work.

All eyes now turn to Saturday 10 October. Real Madrid host Villarreal after the international break, back to reality following their derby defeat.

Mbappé's involvement remains uncertain and hinges on his recovery. Should he feature, it will serve as a genuine referendum before fans who have shown they won't go easy, even if the French star has suggested more than once that he doesn't care.