Mbappé blazes at 2026 World Cup: six goals and fury from Real Madrid supporters

Kylian Mbappé is the leading scorer of the 2026 World Cup after four matches, with six goals and two assists for a France team that dominated Senegal (3-1), Iraq (3-0), Norway (4-1) and Sweden (3-0). While observers rank him among the tournament’s very best players alongside Lionel Messi, his performances have sparked considerable irritation in Spain.

The heart of the controversy is statistical. In Real Madrid colours during the 2025-2026 season, Mbappé averaged just over ten pressings per match in La Liga. With France at the World Cup, that figure approaches 24 per outing. The picture is similar for balls recovered: 2.17 on average in Spanish league play, versus 3.33 per match in this tournament.

These gaps have ignited Madrid media. On the El Chiringuito set, journalist Juanma Rodriguez pulled no punches: “Every time I watch him play for France, it annoys me even more. Mbappé prepared all year to play with France. And it surprises me to hear people say that’s normal. Normal? With my money, well… with the money of Real Madrid’s socios!”

Rodriguez also recalled the episodes that marked the Madrid side’s season: repeated injuries and controversial absences that had already strained relations between the player and sections of the Bernabéu crowd. For these supporters, seeing Mbappé string together XXL performances in the tricolour shirt reignites frustrations accumulated throughout the club season.

On the French side, the dynamic is entirely different. Les Bleus are emerging as one of the major favourites to succeed Argentina on the world stage, led by a captain who seems to have found in this tournament a level of commitment and efficiency rarely achieved at club level this season.