Injury row, yacht trip & petition - what's going on with Mbappe?
In the weeks in which Real Madrid have been poor, part of the debate is why doesn't Mbappe run more, why doesn't Mbappe work well with Vinicius Jr, why it is now two years without winning anything with Mbappe in the team? In my eyes, this completely the wrong debate - everybody wants Mbappe and having him is not a problem, the problems lie elsewhere. But in the middle of that, if you see Mbappe on holiday with his girlfriend, having a good time - despite the fact he has been following to the letter all the medical advice and everything he has to do to recover - or if you get him landing in Madrid in a private jet just 18 minutes before Real start playing a game, it looks bad.
I must admit it does look very strange he is not at, or prioritising, the game. One thing Xabi Alonso's entourage will tell you from their time in Madrid is that Mbappe is bothered mostly about his stats and his numbers. That explains why, even though he didn't feel well with his knee - after they did a scan on both and analysed the wrong one - he wanted to play to try to top Cristiano Ronaldo's 59 goals in a calendar year.
But that didn't help with his injury, and it seems like he wants to make an individual impact, as well as a collective one. The jury remains out with Mbappe. He seems a little bit too cold and too distant with the Madrid fans - I remember Raul telling me that one thing they appreciate is players running for the impossible ball.
People love it. Of course, if Real were winning, it would be a different story. The question is, are they not winning because the managers haven't been able to get the best out of Mbappe, or because he is not adapting quick enough?
He went through a period when he first arrived of complete humbleness, realising he was at Real Madrid, and he was doing what he was told under Carlo Ancelotti. Then after missing two penalties, against Liverpool and Athletic Club, he was feeling really down and thought "I am going to do it my own way". The goals started coming, and he was great numbers-wise for Ancelotti.