{"id":36751,"date":"2026-01-19T15:04:21","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T15:04:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=36751"},"modified":"2026-01-19T15:04:21","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T15:04:21","slug":"mbappe-calls-on-fans-to-back-vinicius-jr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=36751","title":{"rendered":"Mbappe calls on fans to back Vinicius Jr"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>Kylian Mbappe has urged Real Madrid fans to refrain from singling out Vinicius Jr for the club&#8217;s woes, insisting the blame for their stuttering form rests on the entire team.<\/p>\n<p>The France forward appealed for unity ahead of Real&#8217;s Champions League clash at home to Monaco on Tuesday, after tensions at the Santiago Bernabeu reached boiling point during Saturday&#8217;s 2-0 LaLiga victory over Levante.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I understand the fans because we&#8217;re not doing things right,&#8221; Mbappe told a press conference on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;What I didn&#8217;t like was that if they boo, they should boo the whole team. You shouldn&#8217;t single out one player. It&#8217;s not Vini&#8217;s fault that we&#8217;re playing the way we are now.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s all I have to say: don&#8217;t go after one player. It&#8217;s our collective fault, and we have the character to change that on the pitch.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Despite Saturday&#8217;s LaLiga win, which saw second-placed Real move within a point of Barcelona, who lost at Real Sociedad on Sunday, frustration spilled over at the Bernabeu, with the fans directing their anger at several players, including Vinicius.<\/p>\n<p>The Brazil winger was jeered throughout the match and particularly targeted during the starting lineup announcements, with heavy boos resonating in the stadium.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement \u00b7 Scroll to continue<\/p>\n<p>The unrest follows a turbulent period for the 14-times European champions. Their defeat by Barca in the Spanish Super Cup final this month, coupled with a shock 3-2 Copa del Rey exit at second-division side Albacete, has left fans disillusioned.<\/p>\n<p>Alonso&#8217;s dismissal fuels tensions<\/p>\n<p>The dismissal of manager Xabi Alonso last week, seven months into his tenure, has further fuelled tensions.<\/p>\n<p>Reports of internal discord, including clashes between the coach and Vinicius, cast a shadow over Real&#8217;s beleaguered campaign and Alonso&#8217;s exit.<\/p>\n<p>Saturday&#8217;s scenes painted a picture of strain and vulnerability. Broadcast footage showed a visibly emotional Vinicius sitting on the stairs leading to the pitch, clearly affected after hearing boos during the lineup announcement.<\/p>\n<p>Mbappe, who was seen comforting the 23-year-old winger before the game, emphasised the importance of providing a supportive environment for Vinicius.<\/p>\n<p>In stoppage time, and with the score level, a penalty was awarded to Morocco after a Video Assistant Referee check.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Vini, like you, like her, like everyone else, he&#8217;s a human being,&#8221; Mbappe said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s an unbelievable talent, a great guy, and I&#8217;m fortunate to know him. We all need to protect him better. He&#8217;s not alone at Real Madrid, and we&#8217;re all with him. When he&#8217;s at his best, he&#8217;s one of the best players in the world.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;My job is to support him, look after him. When he&#8217;s happy, he&#8217;s a difference-maker, and that should be our collective focus.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Levante&#8217;s visit to the Bernabeu might have secured three points for Los Blancos, but the tense atmosphere underscored the lasting impact of recent disappointments.<\/p>\n<p>Despite Barcelona&#8217;s surprising 2-1 loss at Sociedad, giving Madrid the chance to close the gap, the Bernabeu faithful remain restless, demanding improvement from their players.<\/p>\n<p>Real have the opportunity to move closer to qualifying for the Champions League last 16 with a win over Monaco on Tuesday that could be key to Arbeloa rediscovering their rhythm and encourage fans to offer the united backing the team needs.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kylian Mbappe has urged Real Madrid fans to refrain from singling out Vinicius Jr for the club&#8217;s woes, insisting the blame for their stuttering form rests on the entire team. The France forward appealed for unity ahead of Real&#8217;s Champions League clash at home to Monaco on Tuesday, after tensions at the Santiago Bernabeu reached [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-english-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36751","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=36751"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36751\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=36751"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=36751"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=36751"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}