Real dressing-room criticism of Kylian Mbappé intensifies after El Clásico absence

Real Madrid’s Mbappé problem is not really about one missed match. It’s about timing, trust, and a season that has gone sideways. Barcelona beat Madrid 2-0 in El Clásico on May 10 and sealed the league title, while Mbappé watched from the outside with a left-hamstring injury. That part is simple. The messy part is what his absence unlocked inside the club — more second-guessing, more frustration, and a louder debate over whether the biggest signing of the era has actually made the team better. ### Why did this blow up after one absence? Because El Clásico is the one game where excuses die. Madrid went into it already trailing Barcelona badly in the table, and the result made the title race officially over. When your star forward misses that match, people stop talking about rehab timelines and start talking about reliability. That is especially true when the team has been unstable for weeks and every big failure feels connected. (abcnews.com) ### Was Mbappé actually injured? Yes — the public explanation was a left-hamstring problem that had kept him out since late April. He trained at points during the week, but he did not recover enough to make the squad for Barcelona. That matters because the criticism is not really “he skipped the game.” It is more “why does this keep happening before the biggest nights?” That is a different accusation, and a much harsher one. (abcnews.com) ### So why are people inside Madrid annoyed? Turns out the issue is cumulative. Mbappé has still produced raw numbers — he was on 24 league goals going into the match — but Madrid did not build this project just to have a top scorer on paper. They built it to dominate the biggest games and make the attack feel inevitable. Instead, this season has often felt disjointed, with questions about balance, defensive work, and whether the team bends too much around one superstar. (abcnews.com) The Athletic’s latest reporting says criticism is now coming from inside the dressing room, not just from fans. ### Did the social-media stuff make it worse? Yes, because optics matter when a team is losing. While Madrid were being beaten by Barcelona, fan anger flared around a Mbappé social-media post. On its own, that would be minor. In a trophyless season, it lands like gasoline on a small fire. Supporters already felt the team lacked urgency, so anything that looked detached or poorly timed became part of the case against him. (abcnews.com) ### Is this only about Mbappé? Not even close. Madrid’s whole environment has looked frayed. There were reports of training-ground altercations, fines for players, and broader unrest around the squad. Arbeloa is managing a difficult situation after taking over in January, and the club is already being linked with bigger structural changes. Mbappé is the face of the debate because stars always are, but the team’s problems are wider than one forward. (sports.yahoo.com) ### Why does his 24-goal tally not settle the argument? Because goals can hide fit problems. A striker can score a lot and still leave the team worse in the biggest moments if the structure around him breaks. That seems to be the fear in Madrid right now. Basically, the club bought a solution and got a new set of trade-offs instead — more firepower, but less clarity. (abcnews.com) ### What happens next? The immediate future is less about selling Mbappé than resetting the team around him — or deciding not to. Madrid do not usually panic after one bad season, but they do react when the mood turns. And the mood has clearly turned. ### Bottom line? Mbappé missing El Clásico did not create Madrid’s tension. (abcnews.com) It exposed it. A hamstring injury kept him out, but the real issue is that Madrid no longer looks sure the Mbappé era is pointing in the right direction. (nytimes.com)