73 Million Signatures, Yacht Holiday, Bernabéu Boos… Mourinho's Mbappé Decision Stuns Everyone

The protagonist of one of Real Madrid's most chaotic seasons is, once again, Kylian Mbappé. The 27-year-old French superstar has scored 24 goals in 28 matches this season — by far the team's top scorer — but recent weeks have been dominated by off-pitch controversies rather than his performances. A fan-led online petition titled "Mbappé Out" has crossed 73 million signatures, dwarfing its original 200,000 target and marking one of the largest fan backlashes in the club's history.

The crisis was triggered by a chain of incidents in April. While recovering from a thigh injury, Mbappé was photographed on a yacht in Sardinia with Spanish actress Ester Exposito — sparking outrage among the fanbase. He then missed El Clásico (the 2-0 defeat that handed Barcelona the La Liga title), posted curiously-timed Instagram stories during the match, and, according to The Athletic, walked out of training after being asked to train with substitutes. Reports also surfaced that the Frenchman has been jeered at the Santiago Bernabéu and has no interest in playing remaining home games.

In the midst of this storm, incoming Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho had the Mbappé file at the top of his desk. AS and L'Equipe reported that the French star was no longer "untouchable" and that the club would listen to offers if the right proposal arrived. But the Portuguese manager has made a different call: Mbappé will be at the very center of his new Real Madrid project.

According to ESPN journalist Rodra, Mourinho is building a counter-attacking blueprint in which Mbappé and Vinicius Junior will operate as "two bullets" up front. Arda Güler will be the "creative brain" and Jude Bellingham the "warrior" of the midfield. Florentino Pérez is said to be specifically searching for an authoritative coach who can win Mbappé back into the fans' good graces — a job Mourinho is reportedly eager to take on himself.

All this drama unfolds just ahead of a pivotal stretch for the Frenchman: Mbappé will lead France into the 2026 World Cup on June 16, opening against Senegal. The other group-stage opponents are Iraq and Norway.

Source: Based on reports from TEAMtalk (Graeme Bailey), Football365 (citing ESPN journalist Rodra), AS, L'Equipe, The Athletic, and Al Jazeera's coverage of the "Mbappé Out" petition. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano also confirmed Mourinho's return to Real Madrid with his trademark "Here we go".