Kylian Mbappé remained silent on Wednesday night during Real Madrid’s 2–1 defeat to Arsenal—a result that sealed Los Blancos’ elimination from the Champions League. The French striker has faced criticism from the Spanish press—and even from his own teammates, notably goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who was far from kind.
No remontada for Real Madrid. After being hammered 3–0 by Arsenal in the first leg, the Merengues were unable to turn the tie around on Wednesday night. In the return leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, they suffered another loss, going down 2–1 to the Gunners. The result sent them crashing out of the tournament.
This early exit has triggered a wave of harsh criticism in the Madrid press, which lashed out at Carlo Ancelotti’s squad. The locker room, too, is reportedly frustrated with the team’s lackluster performance, including goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who openly criticized the forwards.
Without naming him directly, the Belgian shot-stopper clearly aimed his remarks at Kylian Mbappé, who was virtually invisible during the match. Courtois went as far as to suggest that his French teammate is not “a natural striker,” and lamented the absence of… Joselu, who left for Qatar last summer.
“Arsenal is a team that defends well, is well organized, presses effectively, and it’s difficult to find space. We send in a lot of crosses, but this year we don’t have Joselu—a natural striker,” he told Movistar Plus+ after the match.
Kylian Mbappé surely won’t appreciate that.