They thought he would criticise him, write him off or throw him under the bus, as he had done with some stars at other clubs in the past. Instead, Jose Mourinho embraced Kylian Mbappe. Although the French striker’s status had dominated the headlines in Spain for days, with reports focusing on his injury during the Nations League match against Turkey, his appearance on a bicycle just a few days later, and his subsequent visit to Real Madrid’s training centre for an individual session, the Portuguese coach insists that the media in the country of the European and world champions are exaggerating.##LINKED_NEWS_69705##He even described the treatment Mbappe has received as ridiculous and came out firmly in his defense after a string of unverified reports filled news websites, newspapers and social media.“If that is the angle from which you look at reality, then you have an advantage. Actually, I thought there had been enough examples in football over the past few weeks, but apparently that was not enough. Not even major cases such as the punishment imposed on Manchester City, the difficult situation in my country, or the case involving Cristiano Ronaldo and the national team coach. There are so many events that could have given you something to work with, but even that was not enough. Madrid is Madrid, and there is always a story to be found here,” Mourinho said, seemingly taking a dig at journalists during his official press conference ahead of the resumption of La Liga and Saturday’s match against Villarreal.##TWITTER_<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🚨 José Mourinho: "Mbappé is a human. It's RIDICULOUS that everything for you is about him. When the Bernabeu booes him, it's a VICTORY FOR YOU. I thought you were going to ask me about important topics. Like Man City or the one you don't like to talk about (Negreira)." https://t.co/4NPjbRNFzK</p>— Madrid Zone (@theMadridZone) <a href="https://x.com/theMadridZone/status/2108469504733073812?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>##He then explained the issues that had stirred public debate, addressing both the bicycle ride, which the Special One defended, and the time off following Mbappe’s injury:“To me, a player is a player 24 hours a day. If the lads do something in their private lives, it always has consequences. A footballer is also a human being who can make a mistake from time to time, but there is always a sense of responsibility. During this period, Madrid’s players have been exemplary in their professional conduct. As for the example involving Mbappe that you mentioned, he was here, received his diagnosis and went to seek a second opinion because he has a knee problem that cannot be ignored. Then comes the recovery process — details you do not necessarily need to know — and suddenly we enter the realm of people who are looking for problems” said the Portuguese manager.##LINKED_NEWS_69730##He also took time to explain Mbappe’s nightclub situation.“First, it was a nightclub, but it wasn’t a nightclub. It was a venue hosting a private fashion event in Paris. Then there was the bicycle in Switzerland. It was a hotel that had several bicycles for getting to the spa or communal areas in a completely peaceful setting. And then we get to the minor incidents — poor Huijsen, who was simply standing outside Pitarch’s house, typing a message, yet looked almost like a criminal. It is ridiculous. If you really want a story, I’ll give you one. This is the first time Real have had no new injuries in October; the injuries we do have are carry-overs from last season. That is a good story, but you don’t like it” he said.##LINKED_NEWS_69618##The Portuguese coach continued in a similar vein when asked whether he could understand the situation from the perspective of an ordinary fan — in other words, whether he would be angry with Mbappe if he were a supporter.“That is one of your targets. You don’t have to be Einstein to understand that Kylian is a target. I would rather not talk about him — I may be wrong — but he is one of the targets. As for the crowd at the Bernabeu, I will not comment on it. I respect them. I hope the fans at our stadium are capable of being fair. Being fair means being intelligent, reading between the lines, and understanding the dynamics and the objectives. I promise you this: if a Real Madrid player does not behave like a Real Madrid player, fails to meet the standards expected of a Real player, or fails to fulfil his duties as a footballer or a citizen, you will not see him on the bench. You will not be able to mock him. He will be at home. I will not give him the opportunity to sit on the bench. And Mbappe will play; he will not be on the bench. I am certain he has not failed to fulfil his obligations to Real Madrid” said Mourinho.LA LIGA – MATCHDAY 8Friday22.00: (2.80) Malaga (3.15) Espanyol (2.65)Saturday15.00: (2.75) Rayo Vallecano (3.20) Ath.Bilbao (2.65)17.15: (4.60) Alaves (3.60) Atl.Madrid (1.80)19.30: (1.10) Barcelona (11.0) Getafe (18.0)22.00: (1.37) Real Madrid (5.85) Villareal (6.55)Sunday15.00: (2.80) Elche (3.25) Celta (2.60)17.15: (1.67) Sociedad (3.70) La Coruna (5.50)19.30: (1.57) Betis (4.00) Osasuna (6.00)22.00: (2.30) Santander (3.50) Valencia (3.00)Monday22.00: (2.75) Levante (3.20) Sevilla (2.65)##SOFASCORE_<iframe id="sofa-standings-embed-36-97268" src="https://widgets.sofascore.com/embed/tournament/36/season/97268/standings?widgetTitle=LaLiga&showCompetitionLogo=true&widgetTheme=light" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="width:100%!important; height:1123px!important;max-width:768px!important;"></iframe><div style="font-size:12px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;text-align:left"> Standings provided by <a target="_blank" href="https://sofascore.com/">Sofascore</a> </div>##
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