Mbappé scores two scrappy goals as PSG fans mock Madrid

Mbappé scores twice and PSG fans celebrate Madrid's flop

Real Madrid beat Barcelona, and the man of the match was the player who, according to the harshest critics around these days, plays walking. Mbappé scored two goals and took the MVP award, but the narrative gaining ground in certain quarters is a different one: one of the goals came from a defensive clearance that bounced off his leg, and the second was a tap-in into an empty net after Bellingham and Camavinga had done the work. The conclusion drawn from that analysis is that Madrid play with ten men when the Frenchman is on the pitch.

The piece that lit the fuse is not a standard match report. It is a diatribe from a fan who describes himself as a PSG supporter, son of a French father and a Spanish mother, with family split between Paris and Madrid, who argues that the Parisian club rid itself of a team-wrecking diva and is now enjoying its best era without him. His thesis: the Frenchman's two goals were a fluke and a push-in, he missed two clear-cut chances, and his defensive contribution is non-existent.

PSG as Madrid's mirror image

The central argument of the text is economic rather than sporting. The millions invested in Mbappé, he says, should have gone on midfielders and defenders, and as long as Madrid carry that burden they will play without attack or defence. The Parisian fan adds that the French capital club have won two consecutive Champions Leagues without him and are going for a third, and that it was PSG who brought Barcelona to their knees, not Madrid.

There is one detail worth noting: the author claims that the Barcelona Madrid faced was the worst in decades, and that Roma came close to making it 3-1, which could have been 5-1 if not for Courtois. In other words, in his version, Madrid's win is diminished by the level of the opposition and by the goalkeeper's performance.

The response: from analysis to outburst

The conversation quickly drifted into less footballing territory. Several replies questioned the author's identity with comments about his background that have no place in a serious discussion and that this article does not reproduce. The author himself clarified his dual nationality and his family ties to PSG, and responded with the scoreline from the last meeting between the two clubs and a question: if PSG are a small-time team, what do you call the side that lost to them?

The sporting counterpoint came from elsewhere. It was pointed out that Mbappé occupies Rodri's space and that the problem is not the coach but a president who wants his prized possessions to play wherever they please. The emerging idea: you can play with one slacker, but not two, and everyone must be put in their place.

Luis Enrique, Zidane and the dugout war

The comparison of coaches runs through the entire text. For the Parisian fan, Luis Enrique is a super coach and Madrid have gone decades without one: Zidane and Ancelotti would be mere lineup-pickers, and Mourinho a fraud with has-been swagger. The reply was not long in coming: one Zidane fart and one Ancelotti thrashing are worth more than anything Luis Enrique has ever achieved.

The heart of the matter is a question nobody quite settles: does PSG win because of the coach or the chequebook? Some argue the Parisian club are a fad and that as soon as Luis Enrique leaves and they sign a dictator like Mbappé, so long trophies. Others point out that Madrid benefited from other clubs' market moves, with Hakimi as someone else's masterstroke and Asensio and Ramos as their own cast-offs.

The rivalry that really matters

The final thread of the exchange is the most interesting for understanding the Parisian fan: who is his biggest rival — Madrid, Barça or Bayern abroad, or Marseille and Lyon at home? The question was left hanging with no definitive answer, which is exactly where the real contest lies: PSG have spent years buying European prestige while their fanbase still measures itself against their Ligue 1 neighbour.

With all this in mind, any prediction is a gamble. If Madrid win the league or the Champions League with Mbappé scoring off deflections, the diva narrative collapses on its own. If they win nothing, the text that today seems exaggerated will become prophecy.