Kylian Mbappé was supposed to be the final piece of Real Madrid’s next empire. Madrid has always chased football’s brightest stars, the ‘Galacticos, and Mbappe fit the bill perfectly. A World Cup winner as a teenager, a centrepiece of Paris Saint-Germain‘s superstar project, France captain, global icon, and one of the most feared attackers of his generation.
His career has always carried a sense of inevitability. From Monaco’s thrilling 2017 breakout side to PSG’s superstar project, Mbappé became the player every elite club wanted. But his final years in Paris were messy.
After signing his huge renewal in 2022, there were recurring questions in France over how much influence he had inside the club, from transfer strategy to the team’s sporting direction. Even with these controversies, Mbappe was always hailed as a superstar, with the footballing world thought to be moving to his tune. However, there were growing concerns about his ‘superstar power’ and the control he was reportedly offered at PSG.
Despite the new contract in 2022, fans could not shake the feeling that Madrid was his destiny.
So when he finally joined Real Madrid in 2024, it felt less like a transfer and more like the completion of a football prophecy.
The Frenchman arrived in style, scoring 44 goals while assisting 5 times in his debut season.
Mbappe helped Madrid win the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup, scoring in both finals. But this was not enough for the Madridistas, used to winning trophies like La Liga or the Champions League every season, they consider everything else a failure.
Especially the current season, going trophyless for Madrid is as big a failure as it gets. The fans have been furious with their team’s performances, getting knocked out of the Champions League quarter finals, seeing their rivals, Barcelona, possibly win the league in El Clásico.
The fans have made their frustrations felt, with Mbappe, although Madrid’s top scorer this season, central to it.
Mbappe’s Sardinia trip is a big building block behind this. While he was recovering from a hamstring injury before a crucial Clásico, the 27-year-old flew off in a private jet to Sardinia for a ‘romantic break’ with his girlfriend (Solhekol, 2026). Mbappe got major scrutiny for this, and the backlash also crossed an ugly line.
Mbappe’s girlfriend, Ester Esposito, was reportedly targeted with online abuse and hate comments after the Sardinia trip became public.
Ester Espósito, who is Kylian Mbappé’s girlfriend is getting a lot of hate comments on Instagram from fans that are upset with the French player to the point that she has turned off the comment section on her latest IG post. pic.twitter.com/uMdhEfgJmF
— Gill (@Gilld) May 5, 2026
The word now circulating amongst furious Madridistas is “Fuera”, meaning “out” in Spanish. An online petition calling for Mbappe to leave has gone viral, with reports claiming tens of millions of signatures.
Why does it seem like Madrid fans have turned on the player who was supposed to take them to the next level?
Because the problems go deeper than a trip to Sardinia.
The addition of Mbappe to the Madrid attack has created a tactical mismatch. Madrid has not always looked comfortable trying to fit Mbappe, Vinicius Jr., and Bellingham into the same attacking structure. This has led to reports of tension between the club’s biggest names.
An online petition to get Mbappe out of Real Madrid has reached 40 million signatures. pic.twitter.com/xpV5rGqOGh
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 7, 2026
Bellingham was the face of Madrid’s new era before Mbappe arrived. The emotional leader, clutch performer, and the player around whom the team’s identity had started to form. Mbappe’s arrival changed that hierarchy overnight. Even without a reported open confrontation between the two, the dynamic is clear. Two global stars, both used to having the team built around them, are now competing for space, influence and responsibility in the same team.
Jude Bellingham recently posted a squad picture after their win against Espanyol, not featuring Mbappe. Many fans took this as a subtle hint by Jude at how the team performed without Mbappe in the squad.
All because of a Jude story 😭✌️ pic.twitter.com/nGryrhItUy
— Hater Central (@TheHateCentral) May 5, 2026
An apparent flare-up with a member of Arbeloa‘s staff (Rai et al., 2026) has brought Mbappe’s own conduct under scrutiny inside Valdebebas.
Reports claimed he was involved in a heated training-ground exchange with a member of Alvaro Arbeloa’s coaching staff after being flagged offside during a drill.
Mbappe allegedly reacted angrily, using insulting language (LatiNation, 2026). This only reinforced the idea that Madrid’s biggest star is becoming difficult to manage with his apparent huge ‘ego’.
Arbeloa later defended him publicly over the Sardinia trip, insisting players were entitled to private time during injury recovery.
However, even that came with an important line, that no player is bigger than Real Madrid. That comment captured the deeper issue. This is no longer just about one holiday or one argument; it is about whether Madrid’s coaching staff can impose authority on a squad full of superstar egos.
Growing tension inside RM. Incident between Mbappe and an Arbeloa staff member; internal criticism of his attitude, though Mbappe's camp say it's an "overinterpretation". Separate confrontation involving Rudiger and a first-team player. @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/bkmviPS7EG
— Guillermo Rai (@GuillermoRai_) May 5, 2026
Madrid fans’ frustrations grew even further after Mbappe was spotted laughing when leaving a training session, which involved his teammates reportedly getting into a bust-up.
In a crisis like this, many fans blame Mbappe for ruining the squad harmony, while some believe that he is just a ‘scapegoat’. Fans have made memes calling Mbappe a ‘Dictator’, dating back to the power and control he reportedly held over PSG.
Scapegoat or not, the online petition has received a large number of signatures, only deepening this crisis that Real Madrid have found themselves in.
Reports have also suggested that Madrid are looking at Jose Mourinho, a powerful man-manager, to help fix this crisis in the coming season (Newsroom, 2026).
Whether the ‘Special One’ makes his return or not, it will be interesting to see how things unfold at the Bernabeu next season.
REFERENCES:
Athletic, G. R. a. M. C. (2026, May 7). Kylian Mbappe in training-ground row as Real Madrid tensions rise before El Clasico. Sky Sports. https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/13541024/kylian-mbappe-in-training-ground-row-as-real-madrid-tensions-rise-before-el-clasico
Conway, E., & Balague, G. (2026, May 6). Kylian Mbappe: Injury row, yacht trip & petition – what’s going on with Real Madrid striker? BBC Sport. https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cdeplyje9zzo
Kylian Mbappé – Detailed stats. (n.d.). Transfermarkt. https://www.transfermarkt.co.in/kylian-mbappe/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/342229/saison/2025
Kylian Mbappe Real Madrid Wallpaper | Jugadores de fútbol, Madrid futbol, Jugadores del real madrid. (n.d.). Pinterest. https://in.pinterest.com/pin/700661654565877104/
LatiNation. (2026, May 6). Real Madrid Mbappé incident leaves the club closely watching a staff episode. LatiNation. https://latination.com/mbappe-real-madrid-tension/
Mbappe, Mourinho, meltdown: Chaos at Real Madrid ahead of Clasico. (2026, May 8). The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/football/kylian-mbappe-jose-mourinho-meltdown-real-madrid-face-clasico-amid-chaos
Newsroom. (2026, May 8). Mbappe, Mourinho, meltdown: Real Madrid faces Clasico amid chaos. Türkiye Today. https://www.turkiyetoday.com/sports/mbappe-mourinho-meltdown-real-madrid-face-clasico-amid-chaos-3219556
Rai, G., Cortegana, M., & Williams, T. (2026, May 5). Kylian Mbappe in training-ground row as Real Madrid tensions rise before El Clasico. The Athletic. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7252427/2026/05/05/real-madrid-mbappe-rudiger-arbeloa-tensions/?source=emp_shared_article
Smart, R. (2026, May 7). Kylian Mbappe goes viral for what he did after Real Madrid training as real reason behind crisis revealed. SPORTbible. https://www.sportbible.com/football/la-liga/real-madrid/kylian-mbappe-real-madrid-video-arbeloa-081268-20260507
Solhekol, K. (2026, May 7). Kylian Mbappe Q&A: Why have over 30m Real Madrid ‘fans’ signed petition for striker’s exit? Sky Sports. https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11835/13541073/kylian-mbappe-q-and-a-why-have-over-30m-real-madrid-fans-signed-petition-for-strikers-exit
Wikipedia contributors. (2026, May 7). Kylian Mbappé. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kylian_Mbapp%C3%A9
