‘Our Best Player’: Florentino Perez Shields Kylian Mbappé Amid Real Madrid Turmoil

The Santiago Bernabéu has always been a cathedral of expectation, but for Kylian Mbappé, the 2025-26 campaign has felt more like a trial by fire. In a season defined by individual brilliance and collective frustration, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has stepped into the fray to deliver a definitive, if controversial, verdict: Mbappé remains the best player at the club.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Josep Pedrerol on La Sexta, the 79-year-old Perez launched a staunch defense of the French superstar, dismissing mounting criticism from both the media and sections of the Madridista fanbase. The timing is critical. With the 2026 World Cup looming and a trophy-less season drawing to a close, the relationship between the world’s most scrutinized forward and the world’s most powerful club president is now the central narrative in Spanish football.

For those following the drama in Madrid, the situation is a paradox. On paper, Mbappé has delivered the “staggering numbers” expected of a marquee signing. He is currently contending for the La Liga Golden Boot and is almost certain to finish as the top scorer in the Champions League. Yet, in the eyes of many supporters, goals are no longer the primary currency; silverware is.

The Presidential Shield: Perez vs. The Critics

Florentino Perez is not a man known for apologizing. During his impromptu press conference and subsequent interview, he didn’t just defend Mbappé—he attacked the narrative surrounding him. Perez insisted that Mbappé is the leading light of the current squad, stating plainly, “Mbappé is the best player of Madrid at this moment.”

The president’s defense comes at a time when the atmosphere around the club has turned volatile. Online petitions calling for the club to move Mbappé on have reportedly begun to circulate, a shocking development for a player who arrived as the crown jewel of the “Galacticos” era 2.0. The criticism centers on two main pillars: a perceived lack of defensive work rate and a failure to lead the team to major titles this campaign.

Perez, however, views these critiques as noise. He emphasized that while there are areas for improvement, the fundamental value Mbappé brings—clinical finishing and game-changing ability—outweighs the tactical grievances. In a revealing glimpse into the club’s internal hierarchy, Perez also dismissed the idea that Mbappé influences sporting decisions, noting that he doesn’t even discuss the coach with the players, merely greeting them at training.

A Season of Near Misses and Shock Exits

To understand why a top scorer is being criticized, one must look at the 2025-26 trophy cabinet, which remains stubbornly empty. For a club like Real Madrid, finishing second in La Liga behind Barcelona is not a “competitive finish”—it is a failure. The domestic disappointment was compounded by a European exit that stung deeply.

The Champions League, the competition that defines the identity of the club, saw Madrid dumped out in the quarter-finals by Bayern Munich for the second consecutive year. For the fans, the repeat of this specific failure suggests a tactical stagnation that Mbappé’s goals alone cannot fix. But the true nadir of the season came in the Copa del Rey, where Madrid suffered a humiliating elimination at the hands of Albacete.

It is this combination of outcomes—the predictability of the Bayern exit and the shock of the Albacete loss—that has fueled the fire against Mbappé. In the high-pressure environment of Madrid, the “star” is always the first person blamed when the system fails. The narrative has shifted from “Mbappé is the solution” to “Mbappé is the distraction.”

The Club World Cup: The Scapegoat or the Cause?

In his interview, Perez pointed to a specific culprit for the team’s decline: the expanded Club World Cup. He argued that the grueling fixture schedule decimated the squad’s energy and focus, leading to the “slump” that saw them fall short in both domestic and European competitions.

This is a recurring theme in modern football—the clash between commercial expansion and athletic sustainability. By blaming the tournament, Perez is effectively shielding his players and coaching staff from the charge of incompetence, framing the season’s failures as a matter of physics rather than a lack of quality or effort.

Whether this excuse holds water with the fans is another matter. The Madridistas are less concerned with the calendar and more concerned with the result. However, for Perez, this narrative provides the necessary cover to keep his faith in Mbappé. If the failure is systemic (the schedule), then the individual (Mbappé) cannot be the primary cause.

The French Connection: Captaincy Under Fire

The pressure on Mbappé isn’t limited to the Spanish capital. As the 2026 World Cup approaches, the France captain is finding himself in the crosshairs of his own countrymen. Recent comments made in a publication have been heavily dissected in France, turning what some viewed as harmless remarks into a national debate about his leadership and attitude.

The scrutiny has reached a fever pitch, with some critics suggesting that Mbappé should be stripped of the national team captaincy. This creates a precarious psychological situation: the player is fighting for his reputation in Madrid while fighting for his status in the French dressing room. For a player who thrives on confidence and dominance, this dual-front war is unprecedented in his career.

The intersection of these two crises—the club failure in Spain and the leadership crisis in France—makes Perez’s public support more than just a sporting endorsement; it is a strategic lifeline. By affirming Mbappé’s status as “the best,” Perez is attempting to stabilize the player’s mental state before the World Cup begins.

Analysis: Why Goals Aren’t Enough in 2026

In previous eras, a striker who scored 30+ goals across all competitions would be untouchable. However, the modern game—and specifically the current evolution of Real Madrid—demands a “complete” presence. The criticism of Mbappé’s defensive work rate is a symptom of a larger tactical shift in elite football, where the first line of defense starts with the forwards.

When a team is winning, a lack of tracking back is overlooked as “saving energy for the attack.” When a team is losing to Albacete or falling to Bayern Munich, that same lack of effort is viewed as arrogance or a lack of commitment to the collective. This is the core of the friction at the Bernabéu: the clash between the individualist nature of a superstar and the collective requirements of a championship-winning side.

the arrival of Mbappé required a tactical recalibration that the club has struggled to master. Integrating a player of his gravity often disrupts the existing chemistry of the attack. While the goals have flowed, the fluidity that characterized Madrid’s previous successes has occasionally looked clunky, leading to the “turbulent season” Perez acknowledged.

What Lies Ahead: The Road to the World Cup

The immediate future for Kylian Mbappé is a high-stakes gamble. The 2026 World Cup offers the ultimate opportunity for redemption. A dominant performance on the world stage would effectively silence the critics in Madrid and solidify his standing in France. Conversely, any stumble in the tournament could turn the existing frustration into an all-out rebellion.

Inside the club, the summer will be a period of intense reflection. While Perez has made his stance clear, the pressure to secure silverware in the 2026-27 season will be immense. The president’s defense of Mbappé is a signal to the world that the project is still on track, but the results must follow the rhetoric.

Real Madrid will now look toward the off-season to address the “things we must improve,” as Perez put it. Whether that means tactical adjustments to better utilize Mbappé’s strengths or a shift in the squad’s defensive responsibility remains to be seen.

The next confirmed checkpoint for the football world will be the official squad announcements and preparations for the 2026 World Cup, where all eyes will be on the Frenchman to see if he can translate his individual brilliance into the collective glory that both his club and country demand.

Do you agree with Florentino Perez? Is Kylian Mbappé still the best player at Real Madrid despite the lack of trophies? Let us know in the comments below.