Mbappe is at the centre of WC’s biggest paradox. An awkward reality lurks behind his greatness

For France at the World Cup, Kylian Mbappe has not been able to stop scoring.

For Real Madrid, he has not always been able to stop the criticism.

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It is one of the puzzling paradoxes of this World Cup: France captain Mbappe is shining as brightly as ever for Les Bleus ahead of Wednesday’s (5am AEST) semi-final against Spain in Dallas.

Mbappe’s superb form in the United States comes just weeks after ending a mixed second season at Real Madrid that combined individual brilliance with collective failure.

Real Madrid have won not a major trophy in the two years since Mbappe signed for the club in 2024.

Yet the Spanish giants have just set a new tournament record at the World Cup, with the club’s players scoring a record 19 goals throughout the tournament so far, surpassing the previous record of 18 shared by Hungary’s Honved (1954), Bayern Munich (2014) and Paris Saint-Germain (2022).

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Remarkably, none of the Real Madrid players who have scored at this World Cup come from the Spain squad, which does not include a single player from the 36-time La Liga champions.

Madrid’s goals tally is due in large part to England’s Jude Bellingham, who has scored six, but above all to Mbappe, who has found the net on eight occasions and sits level with Lionel Messi at the top of the World Cup scoring charts.

Mbappe, 27, has looked to be at the peak of his powers at the World Cup, the tournament he took by storm as a teenager during France’s run to the title in 2018 in Russia.

Like France coach Didier Deschamps and the rest of the France squad, Mbappe is determined to deliver a third star for Les Blues, four years after their agonising defeat in the 2022 final in Qatar.

– ‘A phenomenal player’ –

Mbappe’s World Cup form has done little to dispel the criticism he faced in Madrid towards the end of the season, where he was accused of prioritising country over club — an act of footballing lese-majeste in the eyes of some.

He was booed by his own fans and saw a petition demanding his exit signed by more than 70 million people.

“It’s life,” Mbappe said of the animosity towards him.

“You can’t change people’s minds when they’re angry. I shouldn’t take it personally.

“It’s the life of a Real Madrid player, and a famous player like me. They’re not happy. That’s the only way to understand the whistles.”

The disconnect with Real Madrid fans continues to be a point of intrigue at this World Cup.

Just this week, French publication L’Equipe spoke to fans in Madrid ahead of the Spain game, uncovering a lament about his club attitude.

“We expect him to show more character, like what he demonstrates with his national team,” one fan told the publication.

In sporting terms, Mbappe’s second year at the club he joined in the hope of winning the Champions League was a frustrating one, marked by an early Champions League exit at the hands of Bayern Munich and a La Liga title race lost to Barcelona.

Extraordinary individual numbers — 42 goals in 44 games, including 25 in the league, enough to earn him the Pichichi trophy as La Liga’s top scorer for a second straight season — did not spare him friction at a club where trophies are the only currency that counts.

One flashpoint came in May, when Mbappe took aim at then-coach Alvaro Arbeloa for leaving him out of the starting line-up against Real Oviedo on his return from a hamstring injury.

“I haven’t played because the coach told me I’m the fourth-choice forward in the squad, behind (Franco) Mastantuono, Vinicius (Junior) and Gonzalo (Garcia),” Mbappe told reporters, adding he respected the decision and was “not angry.”

Arbeloa subsequently denied giving that assessment, telling reporters Mbappe had misunderstood him.

“I certainly didn’t say anything like that to Mbappe,” Arbeloa said.

“Perhaps he didn’t understand me. I don’t know what else to tell you. At no point could I tell him that he’s the fourth-choice forward.

“I’m the coach, and I’m the one who decides who plays and who doesn’t. I had a conversation with him before the match. I don’t know how he might have interpreted it.”

Then, in March, reports emerged of disagreements between Mbappe, his entourage and Real Madrid’s medical staff over the handling of a persistent knee injury.

The player sought to play down the affair, denying any suggestion of a misdiagnosis by the club, though he did not convince everyone.

Since then, Real Madrid have changed their medical staff. They have changed coaches, too. Determined to avoid a repeat of the short-lived Xabi Alonso experiment and the troubled interim reign of Arbeloa, the club turned to Jose Mourinho to lift them out of crisis.

Soon after his appointment, the Portuguese manager wryly remarked he hoped his players would be “knocked out of the World Cup as soon as possible.”

On a more serious note, in an interview in late June, Mourinho struck a warmer tone.

“The only thing I can say about Kylian Mbappe is that he’s a phenomenal player, and I’m going to try to help him to be even better than this,” Mourinho said.

Above all, Real Madrid’s fans will be hoping the Frenchman can carry their team next season the way he is carrying France.