Dembele slams Mbappe's critics at Real Madrid
Ousmane Dembele has been surprised by the criticism of Kylian Mbappe, which he says has gone too far.
Mbappe scored 42 goals in 44 games across all competitions for Real Madrid in 2025-2026, but Los Blancos finished the campaign without a major trophy, with two coaches, Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa, out the exit door and Jose Mourinho officially brought back as Madrid's new coach earlier this week.
There were reports of a rift between Mbappe and the coaching staff over the forward's injury concerns, while he was regularly jeered by Madrid supporters, and a petition for him to leave the club was even launched.
The situation has left Dembele, last year's Ballon d'Or winner and Mbappe's France team-mate, baffled.
"The criticism towards him is very, very unfair. Some people go a bit too far with the criticism of Kylian," Dembele told Marca.
"He's an incredible player and a very good person off the pitch. Some people overdo the criticism because he's Kylian Mbappe. They shouldn't keep going after him.
"Whether he ties his shoelaces or not, whether he pulls up his socks or not. It's too much. He's still a human being. With the France team, he's very good with us, he's a leader."
Mbappe's focus is now on the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as he aims to spearhead a France team that is among the favourites to win the tournament.
Like Mbappe, Dembele has already won the FIFA World Cup, having been part of the victorious team that claimed the ultimate prize in 2018.
France also reached the final in 2022, going down to Lionel Messi's Argentina, with Mbappe netting a hat-trick in that game.
