The Real Madrid coach says the France captain did nothing to fail the club, and he is set to play at the Bernabeu on Saturday.
Asked at a press conference on Friday whether the coverage of Kylian Mbappé had been exaggerated, Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho said: "Exaggerated, no - I think it was ridiculous."
Mbappé pulled out of international duty with France after getting hurt in the game versus Turkey on 25 September. He later shared images on social media of himself at a Paris event and riding a bicycle, something Mourinho had previously said was against his rules.
Mourinho was not having it. "When it comes to Real Madrid, it's always different," he said. "But all the players did exactly what they were supposed to during the break. And then you always want to look for more problems and issues."
On the trip to Switzerland, Mourinho described a hotel with little houses, and said each house had bikes "to get to where the restaurants and spa was". "It was absolute tranquility," he said. Bicycles were available to guests at his hotel complex for short journeys, he added, so the picture had been misrepresented.
On the injury, Mourinho said Mbappé got his diagnosis at the club and then went to an external consultant "because his knee has a history that you can't forget". He said there was "total agreement with Real Madrid's diagnosis" from that consultant.
Mourinho also suggested the negative coverage was a coordinated attempt to get supporters whistling the forward.
"You don't have to be Einstein to see that this is the objective," Mourinho said.
He added: "I hope the Bernabeu can be fair, and that means being intelligent, being able to read between the lines."
This week Mbappé has returned to Real Madrid's training sessions. Real host Villarreal at the Bernabeu on Saturday, and Mourinho was clear about his plans: "So tomorrow Mbappé will play." He also said: "If Mbappe plays tomorrow, it's because he hasn't failed Real Madrid and he hasn't failed to fulfil his obligations to the club."
Real are six points behind leaders Barcelona in La Liga after seven games. Mbappé, 27, is one of the favourites for this year's Ballon d'Or. He scored 42 goals in 44 games for Real last season, but the club won no trophies.
At the World Cup, Mbappé took the top scorer award with 10 goals, which lifted his total across World Cups to a record 22, yet France still finished fourth.
The crucial El Clasico clash against Barcelona at Camp Nou follows on 25 October.
No comments yet