An online petition calling on Real Madrid to sell Kylian Mbappe has attracted more than 30 million signatures, reflecting a growing wave of dissatisfaction from fans of the Royal Spanish team. Although still maintaining impressive scoring performance, the French striker is becoming the focus of all criticism in Real Madrid's disappointing season.
Mbappe is currently seen as a "sacrifice" for the crisis at the Bernabeu stadium. The reason comes not only from the team's decline in performance, but also from off-field controversies related to his personal attitude and image.
The incident that angered Real Madrid fans the most was Mbappe's private vacation to Sardinia with his girlfriend Ester Exposito while he was recovering from a hamstring injury. Mbappe returned to Madrid last Sunday evening (local time), just hours before the match against Espanyol, in the context that Real Madrid is losing ground to Barcelona in the La Liga championship race.
Although Mbappe's representative affirmed that the player is allowed to rest according to the recovery schedule built by the Real Madrid medical team, the anger from the fans has not diminished.
It is worth mentioning that criticism for Mbappe appeared despite the fact that he scored 85 goals in just two seasons at the Bernabeu. However, Los Blancos have still been empty-handed in major arenas since the French superstar joined on a free transfer from PSG.
Meanwhile, PSG won the Champions League in their first season after Mbappe left and is preparing to enter another final. This further makes many people question Mbappe's real impact on a team.
One of the biggest problems lies in the French striker's non-ball playing style. According to experts, Mbappe often does not participate in pressing or supporting defense, instead only waiting for the ball in the midfield area to prepare for counter-attacks.
That is also the reason why coach Luis Enrique did not regret much when Mbappe left PSG. The Spanish coach always puts teamwork first and requires every player to participate in the pressing system.
In addition, Real Madrid fans are also constantly debating whether Mbappe and Vinicius Junior can shine together in a squad or not. Both are players who need wide operating space, have little defensive support and like to play on the left wing. This makes Real Madrid lose balance in their playing style.
In that context, the future of the head coach seat at the Bernabeu becomes even more important. Jose Mourinho is suddenly emerging as a noteworthy choice.
If Mourinho returns to Real Madrid, Mbappe may have to change a lot. The Portuguese captain is famous for being strict and does not accept stars who put their ego above the team. He will also be the one to decide whether Mbappe and Vinicius can play side by side.
However, the possibility of Real Madrid selling Mbappe in the near future is still very low. The French striker still has a 3-year contract and the transfer fee for him could be up to about 200 million pounds.
With the current financial regulations, very few clubs are capable of meeting Mbappe's huge fees, salaries and bonuses. If he leaves Bernabeu in the future, his most potential destination is likely Saudi Arabia - where he sent an offer worth 260 million pounds to PSG a few years ago.
The French team will kick off their 2026 World Cup campaign with a confrontation with Senegal at MetLife Stadium - a venue also chosen to host the final match of the tournament.
For Mbappe, this will definitely be a place that evokes many contrasting emotions. It was at this stadium that he started in Real Madrid's heavy 0-4 defeat to PSG in the semi-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025. That was also a match that made pressure and criticism aimed at the French striker explode more fiercely than ever.
In the immediate future, Mbappe is still France's biggest hope at the upcoming World Cup. However, many Real Madrid fans believe that he is prioritizing the national team over the club, especially after the controversial vacation in the important stage of the season.
This weekend's El Clasico will therefore be of special significance to Mbappe. An excellent performance against Barcelona could help him somewhat soothe the wave of criticism surrounding him at the Bernabeu.
