Kylian Mbappe: Injury row, cruise and appeal – What’s going on with the Real Madrid striker?

Mbappe has been sidelined since the hamstring injury he suffered against Real Betis at the end of April, making him doubtful for Sunday’s Clasico against Barcelona.

Los Blancos need to win that game for Barca to win the league.

As usual, that is the main concern. Instead, much of the recent focus has been on what happened away from the training ground.

The France forward was given time off last week and decided to travel to Sardinia during his recovery. While this trip was approved by the club, it was a trip that did not agree with the fans at the time.

The photos emerged of him on board at the same time as Real played against Espanyol.

“Mbappé can do whatever he wants in his spare time, just like any other player,” head coach Alvaro Arbeloa said.

However, the grievance led to organized fan action.

The ‘Mbappe out’ online petition quickly spread across social media, encouraging supporters to make a change and take action regarding the player’s future at the club.

He aimed to collect 200,000 signatures. Over 12 million people signed it in less than 24 hours.

While there is no way to know how many of those who clicked on the online petition were actually Real Madrid fans, the response came at a critical moment.

Real trailed Barcelona by 11 points in La Liga and were eliminated from the Champions League in the quarter-finals and on the brink of ending the season without silverware.

Scrutiny on star players has intensified in this situation, and Mbappé, despite being Real’s top scorer this season, is now coming under heavy criticism.

As well as questions surrounding his commitment, tension and frustration in the dressing room seep beneath the surface.

Mbappe’s representatives gave a statement to the media this week saying that any criticism “doesn’t reflect the reality of Kylian’s commitment and daily work for the team”.

So what happens next?

In the short term, the focus will be on whether Mbappe is fit to play at the Nou Camp.

“We will see how Mbappe is this week,” Arbeloa told his post-match news conference on Sunday.

“It looks like it’s going to take a little longer after the tests last week.”