"Fuera." A word that needs no translation from Spanish to Italian, but it clearly explains the feelings of many Real Madrid fans towards Kylian Mbappé. After last week's holiday in Cagliari with his new partner, Ester Expósito , they no longer want to see him in the white jersey, not even on stickers. So much so that they've started a petition that has sensationally garnered over 46 million signatures in just three days. An exorbitant figure, destined to grow by the hour.
The website— launched last Tuesday —is called mbappeout.replit.app and has a fairly simple layout: a photo of Mbappé and the words "Fuera" and "Mbappé out." Then comes the text of the petition: "Madridistas, make your voice heard. If you believe change is necessary, don't stay silent: sign this petition for what you believe is best for the club's future." The initial goal, surpassed in just a few hours, was 200,000 signatures: now thousands are being added every minute, due to how viral it has gone.
Why are Real Madrid fans so angry with Mbappé? Officially, it's because of certain behaviors, primarily his trip to Sardinia with his girlfriend while he was injured . He's reportedly averaging a perfect 41 goals in 41 appearances this season, but they won't bring any trophies: La Liga is now destined for Barcelona, who could mathematically seal the deal on Sunday in the Clásico , the big match that already awarded the Catalans the Super Cup final. The Champions League ended in the quarterfinals with Bayern Munich, and the Copa del Rey race ended in the round of 16 against Albacete, a second-tier club that hasn't played in La Liga since 2005.
Last Sunday, after the 2-0 victory against Espanyol (without Mbappé, who was meanwhile relaxing in Cagliari, enjoying boat trips and visiting clubs and restaurants), Real Madrid coach Álvaro Arbeloa (a temporary manager; rumors are growing that José Mourinho will return at the end of the season) criticized the Frenchman: "His vacation in Sardinia? Everyone does what they want in their free time. The injury schedule is managed by the medical staff, who know when someone needs to be present at training and when not. Besides, no player is bigger than Real Madrid, and this club didn't become what it is with players in tuxedos, but with those who finish matches with their shirts covered in mud, sweat, and exhaustion ." Mbappé's entourage attempted to douse the flames with a note sent to AFP ("Some criticisms are based on an exaggerated interpretation of elements related to a recovery period strictly controlled by the club, which do not correspond to reality"), but it is clear that he and many other players are in the eye of the storm.
This morning, Mbappé arrived at Valdebebas, Real Madrid's training center, smiling. But there's a powder keg surrounding him: yesterday morning saw the sensational altercation (the second in a couple of days) between Aurélien Tchouaméni and Federico Valverde, for which the club has opened disciplinary proceedings . Valverde even ended up in the hospital, though he tried to downplay the incident on Instagram, explaining that the first clash—on Wednesday—was a simple incident in training, with heated arguments due to frustration, and that the reason for the hospital visit was an accidental blow to the forehead that wasn't caused by his teammate. Meanwhile, Real Madrid, in addition to the disciplinary proceedings, has called an emergency meeting.
Tensions are running high at Real Madrid. So much so that Spanish newspaper Marca described yesterday's brawl between Tchouaméni and Valverde as "the most serious incident ever seen at Valdebebas." And Mbappé, despite not being involved, is still considered the clearest example of the team's difficulties, as he is apparently more focused on other things than football . With one caveat: he left PSG in the summer of 2024 at the end of his contract, to try to win the Champions League with Real Madrid. But since his departure, the Parisians have lifted the trophy last year (their first in their history) and will be in the final again on May 30th in Budapest against Arsenal.