Alvaro Arbeloa Contradicts Kylian Mbappe to Add More Fire to Brewing Feud

The Spanish boss claims he had already spoken to Mbappé about the issues made public on Thursday.

Álvaro Arbeloa (left) and Kylian Mbappé seemingly have a strained relationship. | Oscar J. Barroso/Europa Press/Getty Images

Real Madrid manager Álvaro Arbeloa “completely understands” Kylian Mbappé’s outburst on Thursday evening, but he still told the France international to “stay calm” in the aftermath.

As if there wasn’t already enough drama unfolding at the Bernabéu, Mbappé fanned the flames with explosive comments following Los Blancos’ 2–0 victory over Real Oviedo midweek. The 27-year-old took aim at Arbeloa for keeping him on the bench until the 69th minute and implied the team was better under Xabi Alonso’s watch.

Two days after Mbappé’s impromptu interview, Arbeloa spoke at length about where he stands with the superstar forward, as well as their interactions behind the scenes.

“Right now, just as I was coming up, I saw him and already told him to stay calm, that I’d handle it,” he said in his pregame press conference on Saturday. “I understand that many of these things might seem like news. Everything he said in the mixed zone was something he had already spoken to me about beforehand.

“I approach it much more naturally because, as I always tell my players, I’ve been there and I know what they feel in any situation. I know what it’s like to play every day, I know what it’s like to play less, and I know what it’s like not to play at all. I completely understand how they feel when they don’t play.”

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Why Arbeloa Didn’t Start Mbappé vs. Real Ovideo

Kylian Mbappé was largely a spectator on Thursday. | Oscar J. Barroso/Europa Press/Getty Images

Much of Mbappé’s frustrations came from not starting on Thursday even though he assured the media he was fully fit. Instead, Arbeloa opted for a front three of Vinicius Junior, Gonzalo García and Franco Mastantuono.

Mbappé came on as a substitute to deafening whistles from the Bernabéu crowd, ones that did not even quiet when he bagged the assist for Jude Bellingham’s late goal.

“I know he wasn’t happy the other day, and I like that,” Arbeloa said. “I wouldn’t understand if Kylian Mbappé didn’t want to play with his team, even in a situation like this. For me, it’s something far more normal than what has been made of it.

“In the situation he was in, rightly or wrongly, I thought it was best for him to play a bit in the second half to be ready to play on Sunday. If there hadn’t been that game on Sunday, the situation would have been entirely different, but that’s all. I see everything that has happened these days as very normal, and my relationship with Mbappé remains the same.” 

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Arbeloa Downplays Dressing Room Fissures

Álvaro Arbeloa is in the final weeks of his tenure at Real Madrid. | Dennis Agyeman/Europa Press/Getty Images

Mbappé coming to the media is just the latest scandal plaguing Real Madrid. Over the last few weeks, Álvaro Carreras seemingly confirmed Antonio Rüdiger slapped him and then Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni got into a heated altercation that ended with the Uruguayan suffering a head injury.

There have also been reports of a civil war in which half the team backs Vinicius Junior and Arbeloa, while the other half was in favor of Alonso, an opinion Mbappé shares. Club president Florentino Pérez did little to calm the media storm when he held an emergency press conference announcing new elections and targeting the person leaking these stories to the press.

Arbeloa, though, was quick to say he is not bothered by players exposing private conversations and instances to the public ... even if he would not act the same.

“Whenever I talk to the players, I think about what I say—not that it might come out—but that I genuinely mean it, and I’m not afraid of them commenting or expressing any of the conversations we’ve had.

“When they speak to me in private, I like to keep it private. I understand, and it neither bothers nor hurts me that they might make a conversation they had with me public. I spoke to [Mbappé] before the game, and what I explained to him is what he explained to you. There’s no bigger issue.”

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