4 days ago
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Scoring nearly a goal per game at one of the biggest clubs on the planet would earn most strikers a standing ovation. For Kylian Mbappe at Real Madrid, it’s earned him 30 million signatures on petitions calling for his sale.
The numbers versus the narrative
Mbappe has netted 24 La Liga goals in 27 appearances during the 2025-26 season. That’s the kind of output clubs spend hundreds of millions to acquire, which is exactly what Real Madrid did.
And yet the mood around the Bernabeu tells a completely different story. Fans have accused Mbappe of arrogance, of disrupting team chemistry, of being more brand than teammate. A public holiday he took during an injury recovery period poured gasoline on an already volatile situation.
The result: a petition movement that has snowballed past 30 million signatures demanding the club sell him. For context, that’s roughly the population of Peru telling one man he’s not welcome at his job.
Ronaldo walked this road first
Mbappe himself has drawn the comparison. In comments made in March 2026, he noted that the criticisms he’s facing are no different from those leveled at every marquee player who has worn the white shirt. He specifically referenced Cristiano Ronaldo and Alfredo Di Stefano, two of the greatest players in the club’s history, both of whom endured cycles of intense scrutiny during their tenures.
The Ronaldo parallel is particularly instructive. During his nine seasons at Real Madrid, the Portuguese forward was routinely accused of the same sins now attributed to Mbappe: selfishness, ego, a gravitational pull that warped the team’s orbit around one player. Ronaldo scored 451 goals across all competitions for Madrid. He left as the club’s all-time leading scorer. And still, the debates about whether he helped or hindered the collective never stopped.
Fan sentiment in the digital age
Digital platforms have fundamentally changed the relationship between fans and players. What used to be expressed through stadium whistles now scales globally through social media campaigns and petition drives. A disgruntled supporter in Jakarta can add their voice just as easily as someone sitting in the Bernabeu’s south stand. Ronaldo faced criticism from Spanish media and match-going fans. Mbappe faces it from the entire internet, simultaneously, in every language.
It’s worth noting that in 2024, Mbappe’s social media accounts were allegedly hacked to promote a fake Solana memecoin trading under the ticker $MBAPPE. The incident was unrelated to his current on-field struggles but served as an early reminder that high-profile athletes exist at the intersection of sports, digital culture, and financial speculation. That episode didn’t have lasting market implications, and Mbappe’s current controversy at Real Madrid similarly lacks any direct connection to crypto markets or digital asset valuations.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
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