Real Madrid: José Mourinho comes to Kylian Mbappé’s defence after Bernabéu boos

The Portuguese coach refused to judge the Madrid crowd but made his support for the French forward perfectly clear

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Real Madrid: José Mourinho comes to Kylian Mbappé’s defence after Bernabéu boos

08.09.26 FT Champions League

Real Madrid

Inter

Despite scoring against Inter, Kylian Mbappé was booed by part of the Bernabéu crowd before receiving immediate public support from José Mourinho.

José Mourinho refused to fuel the controversy that emerged at the Santiago Bernabéu on Tuesday night. During Real Madrid’s 2-1 win over Inter Milan on Matchday 1 of the Champions League, part of the home crowd booed Kylian Mbappé when he was substituted. The Frenchman had opened the scoring and played his part in Madrid’s victory.

Asked about the reaction after the game, Mourinho refused to criticise the supporters. “I don’t comment on the crowd’s reactions,” he explained. However, the Portuguese coach sent a clear message of support to his forward, saying that the embrace he gave Mbappé when he came off was a sign of respect for the work he had done for the team. The stance follows Mourinho’s first highly positive comments about Mbappé after returning to Madrid.

Mbappé starts the 2026-27 season in prolific form

The numbers strongly support the French forward. Mbappé now has 5 goals in 5 matches in all competitions this season: four goals across four La Liga games, plus his strike against Inter. He has yet to provide an assist, but he is already Real Madrid’s leading scorer at the start of the campaign.

That form follows an outstanding individual 2025-26 season. Mbappé finished with 42 goals in 44 appearances across all competitions. He won the Pichichi after scoring 25 goals in 31 La Liga matches and was also the Champions League’s top scorer with 15 goals. Signed on a free transfer from PSG in 2024, he remains under contract with Real Madrid until June 30, 2029.

Mbappé believes in his Ballon d’Or chances as Mourinho sends a strong message

Two days before the Inter game, Mbappé also openly embraced his ambitions for the 2026 Ballon d’Or. Speaking at his press conference, the Frenchman said being linked with the award comes naturally when playing for Real Madrid. He added that he felt “this could be a good year for it”, pointing to what he had achieved over the summer and stating that he considers himself among the best players in the world.

After the Inter win, Mourinho was also asked about the award, which will be presented in London on October 26. He stopped short of naming Mbappé directly, but his message was striking: “For me, the best player in the world can have a season without titles.” He stressed that a player can win everything collectively without necessarily being the best individual performer.

That view matches Mourinho’s position from late August, when he argued that the Ballon d’Or should not automatically go to a player simply because he had won the Champions League or the World Cup. With five goals in five games and the emphatic backing of his coach, Mbappé has strengthened his case just weeks before the final verdict.