Van der Vaart defends Mbappe amid Real Madrid criticism

Rafael van der Vaart has spoken out in support of Kylian Mbappe, who is currently facing intense scrutiny as the centerpiece of Real Madrid's attack. The French forward, despite a strong start at the Santiago Bernabeu, has been labeled arrogant and accused of disrupting team balance, echoing criticisms once directed at Cristiano Ronaldo during his time at the club.

Van der Vaart, a former Madrid midfielder, rejected the notion that Mbappe is arrogant. In an interview with Aceodds, he expressed frustration over the criticism, noting that some believe Mbappe's departure improved Paris Saint-Germain, the Ligue 1 champions. "When people are talking about Mbappe being arrogant, it makes me a little bit upset," Van der Vaart said. He added that PSG had many good players but lacked a singular world star, a role Mbappe filled, which sometimes caused other players to step back. "He is under pressure, and he got the blame when PSG didn't win," he explained.

The Dutchman drew parallels between Mbappe's current challenges and those experienced by Ronaldo at Real Madrid. Van der Vaart, who played alongside Ronaldo, observed that having a "mega-star" can alter team dynamics, sometimes negatively affecting collective play. He remarked, "It is difficult to have a big star in your team, but you have to manage that," highlighting Ronaldo's record of scoring 60 goals per season and noting that Mbappe is performing similarly.

Despite ongoing criticism from Madrid fans about his overall influence on the pitch, Mbappe has consistently been a significant goal scorer for Los Blancos. Van der Vaart suggested that the rest of the squad benefits from Mbappe carrying much of the pressure. Reflecting on the previous season, he said, "He was – by far – their best player last season! The other Real Madrid players were not good enough last season. He was scoring all the time."

Looking ahead to international competition, Van der Vaart expressed confidence that Mbappe will prove his critics wrong with France. He predicted further World Cup success for Les Bleus and anticipated that Mbappe would add more individual awards to his achievements, despite competition from other top strikers. "I am going (with) France to win the World Cup," Van der Vaart stated. He also forecasted that Mbappe would be the tournament's best player, while acknowledging Bayern Munich's Harry Kane as a strong contender for the Golden Boot. "I will go for Harry Kane to win the Golden Boot and I will go for Mbappe to win the Golden Ball," he concluded.