ONE TOUCH SUMMARY
- Mbappé says criticism of his defensive work rate is not something he takes personally
- Mbappé leads Real Madrid's scoring this season with five goals in five games
- Mbappé was LaLiga's top scorer last season with 25 goals in 31 games
ONE TOUCH INSIGHT
Kylian Mbappé's defence of himself is the cleanest line in this whole debate, and it is also a dodge. Five goals in five games for Real Madrid is the number he is pointing at. Nobody is asking him to score zero.
That is the trick of the France Football answer — goals against no goals, as if the choice were binary. The real cost is what Madrid's midfield pays when he stays high on the left: a channel left open, a block stretched, a full-back exposed. He won last season's LaLiga scoring race with 25 in 31 and is on the Ballon d'Or shortlist. The finishing is not in question. The system tax is.
He says he does not take it personally, and that he moves forward without hesitation. Fine — but a manager cannot be that serene. If the front line is non-negotiable, the running gets redistributed to whoever is behind him, and that is a selection problem dressed up as a personality one.
Where this gets tested is a one-goal lead in the closing twenty minutes — whether he is still on the pitch, or whether his manager finally makes the substitution the quote has been inviting.
WHY IT MATTERS
Mbappé's response frames a persistent tension at Real Madrid: one of the game's leading forwards judged on the work he doesn't do. He is publicly staking his case on output, with a Ballon d'Or nomination behind it.
Kylian Mbappe
ST / LW
France
Strengths
- ✓Elite goalscoring output — Madrid's leading scorer with five goals in five games this season
- ✓Proven LaLiga record as last season's top scorer with 25 goals in 31 games
- ✓France's all-time record scorer with 66 goals
- ✓Decisive movement and finishing in the final third
- ⚠His limited tracking back can leave Madrid's midfield exposed
- ⚠When he doesn't score, questions resurface about his all-round contribution
TACTICAL FIT
Mbappé's value to Madrid is output, not pressing: his five goals in five games carry the attack. Any system built around him must absorb his limited tracking back rather than expect it.
THE DEBATE
Should Real Madrid accept Mbappé's defensive pass because he scores?
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Mbappe backs himself as the best in the world (0:33)
Adriana Garcia Sep 11, 2026, 04:32 AM ET
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Kylian Mbappé has responded to criticism regarding his defensive commitment at Real Madrid.
The French forward, who is among the nominees for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, believes those critics focus on what he doesn't do, rather than what he does well on the pitch.
"I don't think it's normal, but that's the life of someone who has lived at the pinnacle of excellence for years," Mbappé told France Football when asked about those who criticise him for not tracking back enough during games.
"If I don't score, people ask why I'm not scoring. Everyone has known what I'm capable of for years. And I think that's where the human element comes in. It's human nature to always focus on what someone isn't doing... So, it's not something I take personally."
Kylian Mbappé has scored five goals this season.Photo By Dennis Agyeman/Europa Press via Getty Images
Mbappé was last season's top scorer in LaLiga with 25 goals in 31 games.
He is France's all-time record scorer with 66 goals, a record he achieved at the 2026 World Cup aged just 27.
"Everyone has their own point of view, but I think the goal of football is to score goals -- to score one more than the opposition," the former Paris Saint-Germain star said. "A player who scores goals will never be a problem for a team, because I've never seen a team win titles by scoring zero goals."
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Mbappé, who is Madrid's leading scorer this season with five goals in five games, insists criticism doesn't affect his play.
"I think I have a fair relationship with criticism," he said. "Because there is constructive criticism and somewhat more absurd criticism.
"It's not something that scares me when I have to make a decision. I don't think I'm going to be criticized... I move forward without hesitation."
AI-assisted · generated from ESPN FC reporting, not editor reviewed
