Mbappé responds to defensive work criticism: "It's not normal"

Kylian Mbappé spoke to France Football to respond to recurring criticism about his defensive involvement, arguing that these debates unduly obscure his scoring performances.

“If my goals are sometimes overshadowed by debates around my defensive runs or kilometers covered? I think it’s not normal, but that’s the life of someone who has rubbed shoulders with excellence for years. I’m no longer in the realm of novelty,” the French striker said.

Mbappé explains this phenomenon as a form of normalization of his achievements. After a decade at the top, scoring goals consistently has become a standard that no longer surprises, pushing the public — these “millions of coaches” — to look for what he doesn’t do rather than praise what he accomplishes. “Everyone has known for years what I can do. And I think that’s where we enter the human realm. It’s human to always look at what someone doesn’t do,” he added.

The Real Madrid forward categorically rejects the idea that a prolific striker profile could harm his team. “It’s an argument that makes less sense. Because if I don’t score, they’ll ask me why I’m not scoring. I think the point of football is to score goals, to score one more than the opponent. 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.”

These statements come in a particular context: Mbappé is regularly cited among the favorites for the Ballon d’Or, despite a season without collective trophies. Top scorer in the World Cup, La Liga and the Champions League, he believes this individual record speaks for him, regardless of reservations about his work off the ball.