Dembele backs Mbappe, labels criticism unfair

France player Ousmane Dembélé has backed national team captain Kylian Mbappé, claiming that the criticism levelled at the Real Madrid striker has been “very, very unfair” and gone too far.
Mbappé has received widespread criticism in Spain following a trophy-less season with Real Madrid, as well as continuous controversy in France about his leadership position since becoming national team captain in 2023.
Dembélé told Spanish newspaper Marca on Friday that the intensity of attention on Mbappé frequently crosses a boundary.
“The criticism towards him is very, very unfair,” he said. “Some people go a bit too far with the criticism of Kylian.”
He added that Mbappé’s global status ofte...