Kylian Mbappé responds to Bernabéu whistles: “I’ve been booed throughout my career”

Kylian Mbappé was back on the field for Real Madrid on Thursday, playing the final 20 minutes in a 2-0 win over Real Oviedo. However it wasn’t the return that Mbappé would have hoped for, booed and whistled throughout his time on the pitch.

A second consecutive trophy-less season for Madrid has sparked huge unrest amongst fans and a presidential election, called on Wednesday by incumbent Florentino Perez. On Thursday Mbappé was singled out for criticism after a misjudged mis-season vacation while he was recovering from injury. Speaking after the game, the Frenchman shrugged off the whistles from the Real Madrid fans.

“The boos… that’s life,“ Mbappé said. ”We can’t change the minds of angry people. It’s a way of expressing their opinion, and you shouldn’t take it personally. I’ve been booed throughout my career. It’s part of life for a Real Madrid player and a famous one like me.”

He continued: “The club gave me permission not to be in Madrid, and I wasn’t the only one on the team who wasn’t there. But these are things you have to accept. Look ahead and change it.”

Mbappé was named as a substitute for the game against Real Oviedo but he later told reporters that he was fully fit to start. Instead, he said that head coach Alvaro Arbeloa had made a tactical decision to start with a front three of Vinícius Júnior, Franco Mastantuono and Gonzalo García.

“I haven’t played because the manager told me that for him I’m the fourth forward in the squad,” Mbappe explained. “Ask the manager. I was ready to start but it’s his decision. I can’t be angry with the manager; I have to respect his opinion. I have to work hard and wait for my chance to start.”

The season is already over for Real Madrid, mathematically ended by Barcelona’s El Clásico victory last weekend that clinched the LaLiga title. However there is real uncertainty about the future direction of the club, with the identity of the head coach and the president up for debate this summer. Nevertheless, Mbappé insisted that there are still positives to take from this season for Real Madrid, and that the team will come back stronger next season.

Mbappé said: “I think we started the season well, in La Liga, the Champions League... but we lost it in the second half. It hurts a lot for us because I feel we had a structure and a playing style, and we lost it. That hurts a lot. As does finishing without any titles. But we must learn, accept the criticism, and come back next year with ambition.”

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