Kylian Mbappe has got it in the neck yet again.
Even with his goalscoring prowess, the France captain is never more than 90 minutes from a media tirade, and against Atletico Madrid it was even less.
Mbappe came on for the final 22 minutes of a 3-2 win for Real Madrid, but barely impacted the game with Vinicius Jr the matchwinner.
It marked his third match in a row without scoring, and questions are again being asked about his private life.
Mbappe travelled back to France for specialist treatment on a long-term injury, but then provoked unhelpful headlines when he appeared to be using some of that time to date a new celebrity girlfriend.
She was in attendance versus Atleti, and popular Spanish presenter Josep Pedrerol doubts she would have been impressed.
First speaking about Alvaro Arbeloa’s performance in the dugout, he quickly switched to Mbappe, and made a joke about Fede Valverde’s late red card.
“With Arbeloa, it’s a different Real Madrid,” Pedrerol said.
“They run, they fight, they know how they’re playing. A committed, united Real Madrid.
“It’s a shame they finished with nine men, without Valverde… and without Mbappe.
“Arbeloa almost lost La Liga by playing Mbappe.”
Adding his thoughts, AS editor Tomas Roncero backed up his colleague and said Mbappe could learn from Vinicius.
“He came on for 25 minutes and did nothing but stroll around the Bernabéu pitch,” he commented.
“Kylian is incredibly talented, but he lacks the empathy needed to understand what this club needs to create a real connection with him and win the hearts of the Madrid fans.
“Vinicius can make mistakes, but he makes them with heart. Kylian is so detached in his actions that the Bernabéu crowd no longer knows what to think of him.
“He’s capable of scoring tons of goals, but during those 25 minutes, he didn’t press Atlético’s attacks at all, despite being down to ten men, which displeased the fans.
“Mbappé needs to rethink his attitude, and his friend Vinicius has shown him the way.”
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