‘Xabi Alonso will be a fantastic manager, it’s not true he wasn’t successful at Real Madrid’ – Kylian Mbappe

Kylian Mbappe believes categorising Xabi Alonso as a failure at Real Madrid is incorrect, following his sacking at the Bernabeu next week. The French forward spoke highly of Alonso in spite of his dismissal, and detailed why he felt that he would be a ‘great manager’.

Alonso left the club by ‘mutual consent’ last week according to a club statement, but a multitude of reports coloured the story differently, with the club losing faith in the Basque manager. One of the issues that supposedly led them to do so was his less than perfect relationship with the dressing room. Something that Mbappe railed agains.t

“Where did you get the idea that there was a problem between the players and the coach? (Pause) To say that Xabi wasn’t successful isn’t true. He left before the titles were won. Xabi, in my opinion, will be a fantastic coach. I had a great relationship with him. He has that obsession with details, with the game. What happened, happened. It was a decision made by the club, and we have to respect it. Now there’s a new manager, and it’s his first professional experience. We’re going to help him.”

“I have a good relationship with Xabi Alonso” – Mbappe

Mbappe was one of the players who was reportedly on board with Alonso’s management. He backed away from whether it was a fair decision to dismiss him.

“I spoke to him when it all happened. I have a good relationship with him. We talked about life, and I wanted to support him. Whether it’s fair or unfair isn’t my responsibility. With the affection I have for him, that’s life. I have to support my new coach, Arbeloa, with the same affection I have for Xabi. It’s the life of a top-level footballer. It’s a club decision, and we have to respect it.”

‘Sometimes 10% is true, 90% is a lie’ – Mbappe on Alonso reports

It was also put to Mbappe that the relationship with some of the players was one of the causes of Alonso’s exit.

“No… But there are things that are said that aren’t true. Sometimes 10% is true and 90% is a lie. But our job is to accept that, but sometimes I say it and it’s not right. When I have the opportunity to speak up, I do…”

Three players who were largely believed not to have seen eye to eye with Alonso were Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior and Fede Valverde. Mbappe was asked whether he felt the reaction to those players was as a result of that widespread reporting.

“It’s possible, it’s possible. That’s why I say I understand everything. There are journalists who do a good job. Sometimes they’re right, and sometimes they’re wrong. That’s why I understand people. When I was a kid, everything I heard on TV was true. I understand that people form their opinions based on what they hear. Our job is to get people back on board. And to rebuild the Real Madrid family.”

“I can say that that it hasn’t been an easy week. You don’t have to be a genius to work that out. But it’s like this. But we need to be ready in this situation, and as a Real Madrid player, we need be ready for any situation, and to show our character. The fans are ready to support us, and we have to be ready to show what we can do.”

Kylian Mbappe on fitness during Albacete Copa shock

One of the surprises during their clash against Levante was the presence of Mbappe. Having played the final 20 minutes of the Spanish Supercup final the previous Sunday, Mbappe was deemed not fit enough to face Albacete in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday, and a doubt to face Levante. He was asked to comment on a report from L’Equipe that played through injury in Saudi Arabia to save Alonso’s job.

“Do I have to comment on everything that the French journalists say? I travel because I always want to play every game. Whether I’m playing well or not, I don’t know, but that’s just how I am. If I have the chance to play every game, I’ll take it. We made a plan to come back for the Super Cup, but it couldn’t happen against Atletico. I was very sad. And I wasn’t ready to play in the final, but the manager asked me to come and support the team. I tried to play as much as I could. It didn’t go well because we didn’t win, and now I’m back. To do things right.”

Mbappe ended up playing 90 minutes against Levante, seemingly without problems in his knee. The Supercup was his first appearance of 2026, after missing games against Real Betis and Atletico Madrid.

The post ‘Xabi Alonso will be a fantastic manager, it’s not true he wasn’t successful at Real Madrid’ – Kylian Mbappe appeared first on Football España.