Former Champions League winner Thierry Henry hit out at Real Madrid’s failed Kylian Mbappe as he defended goalless Jude Bellingham.
Henry had his say next Real Madrid’s weak defeat by 3-1 Tuesday at home against AC Milan in the Champions League. Carlo Ancelotti’s team were beaten 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabéu by arch-rivals Barcelona at the end of October and the Italian coach has revealed it his concerns with a team he freely admits “doesn’t play well.”
Mbappe has been a lightning rod for a lot of backlash after a poor run of form. The arrival of the French summer has not yet settled Madrid and has just five clean sheets in 15 appearances in all competitions this season. Jude Bellingham put together a sensational 23-goal haul last season but has yet to score since the summer.
In his role as an expert on CBS SportsHenry offered an impassioned defense for the England midfielder as he brought down his compatriot. “It’s almost always Bellingham who tries to make runs, makes the team play,” explained the former Barcelona player.
“It’s still him who tries to break the lines. Who runs and tries to get to the goal? It’s Bellingham who does Mbappe’s job.
“That might happen from time to time, but not all the time. Do you think Bellingham likes to make those runs to stretch the team? They do it because they want to and want to.”
Mbappe was surprisingly being left out of the French selection for the upcoming internationals this month despite being injury free. The former Madrid striker Karim Benzema argued that the natural left winger was struggling to find his position in a team that already includes Vinicius Junior.
At the end of his fierce criticism of Mbappe, Henry admitted: “You have to give him time, but he has to learn to play as ‘new’ and have the desire and desire to do it. I think the team is frustrated with him, which I can understand.”
