2 min readUpdated: May 15, 2026 09:39 AM IST
Kylian Mbappe endured another rough night for Real Madrid after he was booed while making a substitute appearance in the 2-0 victory over Oviedo on Thursday. The Frenchman then made the stunning claim that Madrid coach Álvaro Arbeloa told him that he is the team’s fourth-choice striker, a claim that was instantly rubbished by the Spaniard.
Mbappe is still not fully recovered from a left hamstring injury but claimed after the win over Oviedo that he was ready to play from the start.
“I’m 100% fine. I didn’t play because the coach told me I’m the fourth striker in the squad behind (Franco) Mastantuono, Vini (Vinícius Júnior) and Gonzalo (García). I accept it,” Mbappe said. “I was ready to start, it was his decision. You can’t be angry with the coach, you always have to respect the opinion of the coach. I’ll keep working hard and wait to be the starter.”
Arbeloa dismissed Mbappe’s claims.
“I don’t have four strikers, and I haven’t told anything like that to Mbappe,” Arbeloa said. “He probably didn’t understand me. I don’t really know what to tell you. I wouldn’t tell him that he’s the fourth-choice striker.”
Mbappe was booed by his own team’s fans at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium after being brought on as a replacement for García in the 68th minute. Mbappe did end the night with an assist for Jude Bellingham’s 79th-minute goal that sealed Madrid’s 2-0 win.
The frosty relationship between Mbappe and the Real Madrid coach are emblematic of all that’s gone wrong with the club this season. The week saw Real Madrid players getting involved in an ugly altercation in training. The club ended up fining Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni 500,000 euros ($589,000) each for their role in the training fight.
Real Madrid lost 2-0 to Barcelona in the El Clasico on Sunday, a result that saw the Catalan club clinch the league title.
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Beleaguered Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez has also called for new elections, after what he claimed was an “organized campaign” to unseat him.
