Kylian Mbappe and Alvaro Arbeloa row at Real Madrid escalates over 'fourth-choice forward' claim as benched talisman booed
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Updated 15/05/2026 at 08:32 GMT+1
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Kylian Mbappe and Alvaro Arbeloa are locked in a war of words, with the Real Madrid star claiming his manager told him he was the side's "fourth-choice forward".
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But Arbeloa rebuffed the France talisman's account of events after his substitute was booed upon his introduction in Madrid's 2-0 win over Real Oviedo.
Tensions have frayed at the club in recent weeks, with Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni coming to blows in a training session and Mbappe criticised for his off-the-field behaviour.
A petition to remove the former-Paris Saint-Germain sharpshooter from the club was a culmination of ill-feeling from supporters, whose jeers rang out loud and clear when Mbappe replaced goalscorer Gonzalo Garcia in the 69th minute on Wednesday.
"I'm well, I'm 100%," Mbappe reassured reporters afterwards, having missed Sunday's Clasico defeat with injury.
"I didn't play because the coach [Arbeloa] told me I'm the fourth-choice forward in the squad behind [Franco] Mastantuono, Vinicius [Junior] and Gonzalo [Garcia]. I accept it and play the time I'm given. I think I played well.
"I was ready to start. I'm not angry with the manager. You always have to respect a coach's decision. I'll work hard to get back into the starting line-up."
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Mbappe assisted Jude Bellingham for Madrid's clincher in the 80th minute, though the club's second-place finish is set in stone after Barcelona secured La Liga in the latest Clasico.
The 27-year-old was pictured on holiday in Sardinia with partner and Spanish actress Ester Exposito, subsequently failing to reach the requisite match fitness to feature in Real Madrid's 2-0 defeat to their La Liga rivals.
But head coach Arbeloa categorically denied Mbappe's "fourth-choice" claim, arguing that he does not have as many forwards at his disposal.
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"I wish I had four forwards," Arbeloa said. "I don't have four forwards, and I certainly didn't say anything like that to Mbappe. 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.
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"A player who wasn't on the bench four days ago, shouldn't start today. It's not a final, it's not a do-or-die situation... That's all. I don't have any problem with anyone.
"I can understand that Mbappe isn't happy about not playing, but it's a decision based on the circumstances. It was the most logical and natural thing to do, the most common-sense thing.
"If you want, you can show me Kylian's mixed zone [comments] and we can discuss it. Until I hear what he said, I'm not going to comment on every single sentence...
"As long as I'm in this position, I decide who plays and who doesn't. I don't care what their names are."
Arbeloa stepped in to replace Xabi Alonso as Real Madrid boss in January, and Mbappe was critical of the "playing style" of the team in the second half of the campaign.
Mbappe said: "We started the season well. Then we lost everything in the second half of the season. It hurts a lot. I feel like we had a playing style, a structure, and we lost it.
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"I have a great relationship with Xabi. Everyone knows what I think of him. But we have to look ahead at what we can improve and do better.
"There's no problem with Arbeloa. Everyone has their own ideas and philosophy. I have to work to be better than Gonzalo, Mastantuono and Vini to get playing time."
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