Kylian Mbappe Reveals Coach Called Him 'Fourth Forward'
Madrid. Real Madrid star striker Kylian Mbappe has revealed that coach Alvaro Arbeloa called him the team's 'fourth forward'.
French captain Mbappe expressed this dissatisfaction after being benched in the match against Real Oviedo.
Mbappe, who returned to the field after recovering from a thigh injury, came on as a substitute in the 69th minute of Real's 2-0 victory against Oviedo on Thursday. However, disgruntled Real fans present at the Santiago Bernabeu welcomed him with whistles.
Last week, Mbappe did not play in Barcelona's El Clasico victory, which secured the Spanish La Liga title, citing that he was not fit. At the same time, he went on vacation to Sardinia, leading fans to question his commitment and criticize him.
In the match against Oviedo, coach Arbeloa had entrusted Vinicius Junior, Franco Mastantuono, and Gonzalo Garcia with the responsibility of attack. Speaking to reporters after the game, Mbappe said, 'I am 100 percent fit, but the coach told me I was the fourth forward in the team after Mastantuono, Vinicius, and Gonzalo, so I didn't play.'
After coming onto the field, Mbappe provided the assist for Jude Bellingham's second goal. He added, 'Ultimately, I accepted the decision to sit on the bench and played in the time I got.'
Regarding his vacation during the injury, he claimed that he had the club's permission to go and that he could easily change the situation. Meanwhile, coach Arbeloa stated that Mbappe misunderstood him. He clarified that he did not want to take a risk by starting a player who could not even sit on the bench four days ago.
Arbeloa claimed that he had already informed Mbappe that he would be the first-choice forward in Sunday's match. He said, 'It wasn't a life-or-death game, so I didn't want to take a risk.'
It is natural for Mbappe, who has scored 41 goals in 42 games this season, to be sad about not playing, according to the coach. This season has been very difficult for Real, where Arbeloa replaced Xavi Alonso in January.
After failing to win any major title for the second consecutive year, club president Florentino Perez has also announced elections.
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