Mourinho brands criticism of Kylian Mbappe 'ridiculous' as forward returns to Real Madrid training

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho on 9 October 2026 described criticism of Kylian Mbappe as "ridiculous" as the France forward returned to club training this week.

Mbappe withdrew from international duty after picking up an injury against Turkey on 25 September and later shared images on social media from a Paris Fashion Week event and of himself riding a bicycle. Mourinho had previously said bicycle riding was against his rules and addressed those images while speaking about the player's conduct.

"When it comes to Real Madrid, it's always different," Mourinho said. "But all the players did exactly what they were supposed to during the break. And then you always want to look for more problems and issues."

Mourinho set out the club's disciplinary threshold in a further statement on player behaviour, saying: "What I can promise is when a Real Madrid player doesn't behave the way a Real Madrid player is supposed to and when he fails at that and he stops being a Real Madrid player for 24 hours, you will not see that player on the bench because he will be at home."

The manager rejected suggestions the bicycle picture showed wrongdoing, saying the image of Mbappe riding a bike in Switzerland had been misrepresented and that bicycles were available for guests at his hotel complex to use for short journeys. Asked if coverage of Mbappe was exaggerated he added: "Exaggerated, no - I think it was ridiculous."

Real sit six points behind leaders Barcelona in the La Liga table after seven games. Mbappe, 27, is one of the favourites to win this year's Ballon d'Or; he scored 42 goals in 44 games for his club last season but they did not win any trophies, and he won the World Cup Golden Boot with 10 goals, taking his career tally at World Cups to a record 22 while France finished fourth.

Mourinho said of Mbappe's availability for the next match: "If Mbappe plays tomorrow, it's because he hasn't failed Real Madrid and he hasn't failed to fulfil his obligations to the club."