‘It’s ridiculous’ – Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho launches fierce defence of Kylian Mbappe amid nightclub and holiday criticism

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Mourinho addressed the criticism: “It’s ridiculous. I thought there were enough real ‘cases’ in the football world in the last few weeks, but it seems like they weren’t enough.

“There are giant cases like the [Manchester City] one, like the old story you don’t like to talk about [Negreira], like the difficult situation in my country with Cristiano Ronaldo and his coach.

“But it hasn’t been enough. Real Madrid is Real Madrid. I thought the first question might be about real things, a difficult game… But here we are.”

Defending the squad’s professionalism and Mbappe’s rehabilitation schedule, the manager added: “I don’t lie. The truth is that in this period, Real Madrid’s players have been exemplary in their professional situation. Those who were injured came straight to Valdebebas, got their diagnosis, and got their rehab plan.

“Mbappe was here, he got his diagnosis, he went to an external consultant – because his knee has a history that you can’t forget – and there was total agreement with Real Madrid’s diagnosis and this external consultant. In terms of his recovery, you don’t have to know all the details. But then we get into the area of looking for problems.”

Clarifying the player’s destinations, Mourinho said: “[In Paris] it was a club that wasn’t a club. It was a club that had been transformed for a private event. Then in Switzerland, it was just a hotel, with little houses, and each house had some bikes to get to where the restaurants and spa was. It was absolute tranquility.”