Kylian Mbappé issues statement after criticism over Italy trip as tensions with Álvaro Arb

Mbappé responds to criticism over Italy trip and club tensions

Kylian Mbappé has issued a public response after receiving criticism for travelling to Italy while recovering from a hamstring injury and following reports of a tense incident during a Real Madrid training session involving assistant coach Álvaro Arbeloa. The 27-year-old striker’s statement, released through AFP, says some of the criticism stems from an over-interpretation of elements related to a recovery period supervised by the club and defends his commitment and daily work for Real Madrid.

What the reports say about the training incident

According to reporting cited from The Athletic by Mario Cortegana and Guillermo Rai, Mbappé was involved in an altercation during a Real Madrid training exercise in which he allegedly strongly insulted an assistant coach who was acting as the referee for the drill. The Athletic report, as summarised in the source metadata, says some people inside the club were reportedly unhappy with the perceived lack of action from the front office after the episode.

In response to the criticism around his Italy trip, the metadata includes a remark attributed to Álvaro Arbeloa: players in their free time "do what they see fit," and planning for injured players is supervised and managed by Real Madrid’s medical staff, who decide when players need to attend Valdebebas. This comment was used to try to defuse criticism of Mbappé's travel while injured.

Recovery timeline and El Clásico context

Reports included in the source metadata differ on Mbappé’s recovery. One outlet suggested the striker might not push to play against Barcelona after his hamstring problem, while another (Diario AS, via Manuel de Juan) says Mbappé accelerated his recovery and returned to Valdebebas on days off to work with physiotherapists and fitness coaches with the stated objective of being fit for El Clásico.

• Mbappé issued a statement via AFP asserting his recovery was supervised and defending his commitment.
• The Athletic reported an alleged training altercation in which Mbappé insulted an assistant coach acting as referee.
• Some within the club were reportedly unhappy about lack of disciplinary action, per The Athletic summary.
• Álvaro Arbeloa is quoted saying injured players’ planning is managed by Real Madrid’s medical staff and that players can use their free time as they wish.
• Diario AS reported Mbappé returned to Valdebebas on days off to work with physiotherapists aiming to be ready for El Clásico; another report said he would not push to play.

Club dynamics and next steps

Taken together, the reports describe a club managing a high-profile player’s recovery amid scrutiny from fans and internal unease over behaviour in training. The available metadata does not include any official Real Madrid disciplinary statement, confirmation of an internal investigation, or the full text of Mbappé’s AFP release, so several key details remain to be verified.

What happens next: Real Madrid will likely clarify the medical timeline and any internal response if they choose to address the training incident formally. For now, sources differ on whether Mbappé is set to play in the upcoming El Clásico; monitoring official club updates and matchday squad announcements will be necessary to confirm his availability.