Benched Mbappe says he’s fourth-choice forward at Real Madrid under Arbeloa
Key takeaways
- Striker jeered by own fans as he came off bench in return from injury in 2-0 La Liga win over Real Oviedo.
- Madrid fans have criticised their top goalscorer in recent weeks for a perceived lack of commitment, with Mbappe not fit to play in the Clasico last weekend, where Barcelona beat Madrid to clinch the Spanish title.
- Arbeloa started with Vinicius Junior, Franco Mastantuono and Gonzalo Garcia in attack against Oviedo, with Mbappe not having played for almost three weeks.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Striker jeered by own fans as he came off bench in return from injury in 2-0 La Liga win over Real Oviedo.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe comes on as a substitute to replace Gonzalo Garcia against Oviedo [Isabel Infantes/Reuters]By AFP and APPublished On 15 May 202615 May 2026Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe says coach Alvaro Arbeloa told him he was the “fourth forward” in the squad before benching him against Real Oviedo.
The France captain returned from a thigh problem in a 2-0 win over Oviedo on Thursday, but his appearance as a 69th-minute substitute was greeted by whistles from Madrid’s own disgruntled supporters at the Santiago Bernabeu.