Mbappe defends Alonso and claims departed Real Madrid manager was not a failure

Kylian Mbappe has rejected the idea that Xabi Alonso’s spell as Real Madrid head coach should be viewed as a failure, insisting the former midfielder will go on to become a top-level manager despite his departure from the Bernabeu.

Alonso left the club last week after what Real Madrid described as a decision taken by mutual consent, although reports in Spain have suggested the board lost confidence in the Basque coach.

Questions were also raised about his relationship with the dressing room, claims Mbappe was keen to push back against.

“Where did you get the idea that there was a problem between the players and the coach?” Mbappe said.

“To say that Xabi wasn’t successful isn’t true. He left before the titles were won. Xabi, in my opinion, will be a fantastic coach. I had a great relationship with him. He has that obsession with details, with the game. What happened, happened. It was a decision made by the club, and we have to respect it.”

Mbappe was among the players understood to have supported Alonso internally and spoke openly about maintaining contact with him after the decision was made, while making clear that the squad’s focus must now shift to the future under new head coach Alvaro Arbeloa.

“I spoke to him when it all happened. I have a good relationship with him. We talked about life, and I wanted to support him,” Mbappe explained. “Whether it’s fair or unfair isn’t my responsibility. With the affection I have for him, that’s life. I have to support my new coach, Arbeloa, with the same affection I have for Xabi. It’s the life of a top-level footballer. It’s a club decision, and we have to respect it.”

Reports linking Alonso’s exit to supposed tensions with senior figures in the squad have persisted, but Mbappe suggested much of the narrative had been exaggerated or misrepresented.

“No… But there are things that are said that aren’t true,” he said. “Sometimes 10% is true and 90% is a lie. But our job is to accept that, but sometimes I say it and it’s not right. When I have the opportunity to speak up, I do.”

Players such as Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior and Federico Valverde were frequently named as being unconvinced by Alonso’s methods, a suggestion Mbappe acknowledged could have shaped public perception.

“It’s possible,” he said. “That’s why I say I understand everything. There are journalists who do a good job. Sometimes they’re right, and sometimes they’re wrong. When I was a kid, everything I heard on TV was true. I understand that people form their opinions based on what they hear. Our job is to get people back on board. And to rebuild the Real Madrid family.”

Mbappe admitted the fallout from Alonso’s departure had made for a difficult period inside the club, but stressed the responsibility on the players to respond positively.

“I can say that it hasn’t been an easy week. You don’t have to be a genius to work that out,” he said. “But it’s like this. We need to be ready in this situation, and as a Real Madrid player, we need to be ready for any situation and show our character. The fans are ready to support us, and we have to be ready to show what we can do.”