Mourinho calls the Mbappé controversy “ridiculous”

“I think the whole thing that has been made of Mbappé is ridiculous,” José Mourinho said while speaking at Valdebebas. Asked about the issues surrounding Real Madrid, the coach challenged the scale of the discussion and defended his players’ conduct during the international break.

Mourinho said Mbappé had sought an outside opinion about his knee. He added that this assessment matched the diagnosis from Madrid completely. Addressing discussion of the player’s private life, he said a footballer is still a human being who can make mistakes, but must also accept responsibility. He called the treatment of Mbappé “ridiculous” and stressed that negative private conduct can have consequences.

The coach also praised the Real Madrid players’ attitude during this period. In his view, they had been exemplary and worked to represent themselves professionally with their national teams. Players who were injured returned quickly to Valdebebas for their diagnoses, he added. As for Arda, who was suspended with his national team, Mourinho said that he alone had given him two extra days off.

Responding to questions about the controversies, Mourinho accused journalists of looking for stories. He said that in recent weeks he had thought they already had enough cases to discuss. He also felt that the issues being raised around Real Madrid could not be compared with those he had referred to at City or with Portugal. “Football has had enough problems this week, and you went looking for them,” he said.

Preparations for the match against Villarreal formed another part of his remarks. Mourinho described his opponent as a difficult team that plays well and competes in the Champions League. He acknowledged that Real Madrid needed to take points after its last defeat, while noting that preparations had been complicated: only five players had stayed behind, while the others returned after playing for their national teams. Both sides, he said, had experienced an imperfect week.

Mourinho would not reveal his starting lineup. Real Madrid, he said, could call on several quality players, but he distinguished between using three forwards plus another attacker and fielding six attackers while maintaining controlled balance. He also said Fede was a doubt. Militao, meanwhile, would not be available for the following day’s match, the game in Rome or the one against Sevilla. The staff still had to decide what to do with Valverde.

Beyond Mbappé, Mourinho spoke about giving his team time to improve. He said he had identified positives as well as areas to work on, but did not want to overhaul the system after only two days working together. He also defended Vini, describing him as a player who wants to return to his best and works well. Helping him, Mourinho said, sometimes requires going beyond strict meritocracy and taking account of the player’s current form.