Kylian Mbappe Excluded from Real Madrid Squad for El Clasico
Kylian Mbappe has been left out of Real Madrid’s squad for the upcoming match against Barcelona in El Clasico. The striker was not included in Alvaro Arbeloa’s team, which is set to face the Catalan giants at the Nou Camp.
According to reports, Mbappe stunned his teammates during the final moments of a training session on Saturday. He stopped abruptly, feeling discomfort in his hamstring, and then announced he could not continue, leaving the pitch. The training session had gone well, with staff optimistic about Mbappe’s chances of featuring in the crucial match.
Mbappe has faced widespread criticism from Real Madrid supporters after he chose to go on a yacht holiday with his new girlfriend while recovering from a hamstring injury. This decision has angered fans, especially as the club looks set to finish the season without any trophies for the second consecutive year. A petition calling for Mbappe’s sale this summer has gathered millions of signatures.
Despite the backlash, Mbappe seems to have taken the anger in his stride. He was seen laughing as he left the training ground following a chaotic day at the club. Teammates Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni were involved in a shocking dressing room row. Valverde fell unconscious and cut his head, requiring hospital treatment. Both players were fined €500,000 for their roles in the incident.
Tchouaméni has been named in the squad traveling to Barcelona, but there is no place for Valverde or Mbappe, despite earlier reports suggesting the latter was close to a return. Mbappe was seen doing ballwork at Madrid’s training base, but it appears he is not yet ready to play. Real Madrid is desperate to avoid handing Barcelona the LaLiga title.
Barcelona can mathematically secure the league with just one point this evening, while Real Madrid are 11 points behind in second place.
Arbeloa defended Valverde and Tchouaméni during a press conference. He praised the club’s decisive action in resolving the issue and the players for apologizing for the clash.
‘What I’m not going to do is publicly crucify them, because they don’t deserve it,’ Arbeloa said. ‘They’ve shown me what it means to be a Real Madrid player over these past four months and years. They’ve demonstrated what it means to be a Real Madrid player, and I won’t forget that. These two players deserve for us to turn the page, to give them an opportunity to keep fighting for this club.’
He also denied claims that the players were unprofessional or had issues with him. ‘I’m not going to allow this to be used to question their professionalism, it’s a lie that they’re unprofessional, that they’re not playing because of problems with me, and that they’ve disrespected me, it’s absolutely false. I’m the one ultimately responsible for the fact that we probably haven’t lived up to expectations this season. If you want to point the finger at someone, here I am.’
It was also reported this week that Antonio Rudiger ‘slapped’ his teammate Alvaro Carreras, with the latter issuing a statement appearing to confirm the confrontation. Arbeloa insisted that conflicts between teammates have always occurred in dressing rooms, referencing a famous incident in 2007 when his former Liverpool teammate Craig Bellamy hit John Arne-Riise with a golf club after the Norwegian refused to sing karaoke during a night out.
Despite the incident, Liverpool reached the Champions League final that same season. Arbeloa expressed concerns over leaks coming from the Real Madrid dressing room, calling them a ‘betrayal and disloyalty to the badge.’
‘No, I don’t work for the CIA and I’m not accusing the players, there are many people involved with Real Madrid,’ Arbeloa said when asked if he knew who was responsible. ‘What happens with my players will remain between them and me, and we have to set an example.’
Arbeloa also came out in defense of Mbappe. ‘For a player to leave training smiling is taking things out of context and making them seem out of place,’ he said. ‘In Mbappe’s case, we all know the effort he made to come to Madrid and what he gave up. We’ve all seen him in a Madrid tracksuit as a kid. I feel completely within the authority of a Madrid coach, ultimately, they’re respecting the current coach, and as a player, that’s the most important thing.’
