Murder on Zidane's floor: Mourinho hits out at 'ridiculous' Mbappe nightclub criticism

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FT Desk

Real Madrid head coach Jose Mourinho has launched a fierce defence of Kylian Mbappe after the Frenchman received criticism over the international break.

France opened their UEFA Nations League campaign with a 1-0 victory away to Turkiye, with Mbappe making the decisive contribution shortly after half-time. He found the net 10 minutes into the second half, cutting a shot into the bottom-left corner from inside the penalty area.

However, his celebrations were cut short when he appeared to be struggling with an injury and was seen limping away from the scene. He was subsequently taken off by Zinedine Zidane and didn't play another minute of Nations League football.

It was subsequently confirmed that he suffered an injury to his knee which has been giving him bother for a while.

Later in the international break, while his team-mates were still in the France camp for the Nations League, he was spotted heading into a nightclub in Paris with his actress girlfriend, Ester Expsoito.

🐢🚴‍♂️ MBAPPÉ continúa su recuperación... ¡EN BICICLETA!

😅 El francés ha compartido el vídeo en sus redes sociales. https://t.co/vwWZ01cEwF

— El Chiringuito TV (@elchiringuitotv) October 4, 2026

Then, Mbappe posted a video on social media of himself on a bike ride. Though seemingly an innocent enough act, it came one month after Mourinho warned his players not to go cycling or skiing due to the risk of injury.

"It has to do with the importance you give to your work," he had said.

"If you fall off a bicycle, you might miss three games. Or worse, you could break a leg, or maybe just get a cut, but that prevents you from being at your best level."

Some took it as a direct message to Mourinho from Mbappe that the Madrid boss cannot control his life.

Despite that, Mourinho has defended his player from the flood of criticism he received over the two incidents. The Portuguese boss claims that Mbappe wasn't at a nightclub at all, and that the bike ride was a short one in a holiday complex.

"He came here after the injury, he was diagnosed. He went to an outpatient consultation because his knee has a medical history that cannot be ignored," Mourinho told reporters.

"There is a recovery plan, whose details you don't need to know."

"And then, there is the problem hunting," he added, addressing the criticism from the media.

"As if the real problems that football has faced over the last two weeks weren't enough, people are actively looking for trouble.

"First, the nightclub that wasn't one, it was a venue for a private event during Paris Fashion Week.

"Then, the bike in Switzerland, in a hotel made up of small chalets.

"The bikes were simply for getting around the common areas of a quiet hotel, yet they tried to make it seem like he was participating in the Tour de Suisse."

Even though Mourinho has publicly defended Mbappe, reports suggest it is a different story behind the scenes.

Pipi Estrada, speaking on El Chiringuito, claimed that the manager gave the Frenchman a "dressing-down" over breakfast on Tuesday.

Estrada asserts that Mourinho called out Mbappe's cheek for posting that video and added: "Outside, I'll defend you when questioned, but here, no, I won't defend you."

Mbappe is said to be "struggling mentally" at Real Madrid at the moment.