Kylian Mbappé’s last appearance on a football field was two weeks ago. The Frenchman played 71 minutes against Villarreal, in the 9th minutee Spanish championship day (2-0 win for Real Madrid). And, since his arrival in Madrid this summer, he has been consistently neutral, marked by significant technical failures. The French international striker will look to go one better on Saturday 19 October, when he returns in La Liga against Celta Vigo (21.00) after a short break.
The former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star knows that his match will receive more attention than usual. Since his visit to Stockholm last week, during the rest day granted by his club during the international break – and when the French team, whose call he refused, played in the Nations League –, Kylian Mbappé saw his name cited by the Swedish press in the rape case. Although the prosecutor’s office in the Scandinavian country confirmed that a rape report had been received by police and an investigation was underway, it did not name the Real Madrid striker in the case.
Tuesday, the player’s attorney, MeMarie-Alix Canu-Bernard, announced on TF1 her intention to file a complaint “slanderous criticism (…)for it is impossible to allow yourself to be slandered and slandered like that.”The captain of the French team, according to him, “with absolute calm because he had absolutely nothing to blame himself for.” A few hours after his name was published in several Swedish tabloids, the French footballer reacted on social networks « fake news ».
In Spain, the media does not focus much on the “Mbappé affair”
For now, the excitement in France doesn’t seem to bother the man from Bondy (Seine-Saint-Denis). “Since Mbappé returned to training, as usual, he has been very smiling at his teammates, story Guillaume Pomade, journalist for real newspaper, regular at Madrid club sessions. To him, it seemed like nothing had changed. »
In the Iberian Peninsula, the media is less focused on the “Mbappé affair” than in France, which allows players to concentrate on athletes and upcoming events: after the match against Cela Vigo, Real Madrid will face Borussia Dortmund in the next match. Champions League on Tuesday 22 October, then Barcelona for the Clasico on Saturday 26 October. “In Spain, the media loves controversy. But regarding a topic as serious as this, they prefer to have a certain angle to talk about it, continued Guillaume Pomade. [Le quotidien sportif] Sign for example mentioning it briefly, but not making it to the front page. We must also remember that here, Kylian Mbappé is not a national star like in France. »
The Real Madrid coach also assured that the French striker had returned from his gap year fresh, both physically and mentally. “At the moment, this is just speculation. “He worked very well, he was happy, and I didn’t feel affected at all, he was very enthusiastic.” Carlo Ancelotti said on Friday at a press conference. “Mbappé is taking advantage of this break to improve his physical condition, recovering from his injury. He is doing very well, he is happy and looking forward to playing an important role for the team.” added the Italian technician. On his way to Sweden? “These rest days are planned for him, and then I think everyone chooses what they want to do. I’m not interested in where players prefer to rest. »
While waiting for developments in the investigation in Stockholm – to determine whether he was involved or not – Kylian Mbappé will return to the pitch. On Saturday, he is expected to be at the forefront of the Merengue attack.
