“I don’t see him affected at all,” said Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti this Friday about Kylian Mbappé, whom the Swedish media relate to an investigation for alleged rape, adding that he perceives the forward as “happy and excited.”
«I don’t see him affected at all, he is happy, excited to contribute to the team and working very well. I’m not here to comment on speculation, I focus on the work he does, the rest has been good for him. “I don’t pay attention to outside speculation,” the Italian coach said on the eve of playing against Celta in the League.
The Swedish prosecutor’s office announced on Tuesday the opening of a rape investigation after the stay of Mbappé and a group of friends last week in Stockholm, without mentioning names, although Swedish media claim that the footballer appears in the case file.
The lawyer of the captain of the French national team said the same day that she did not know if the investigation opened in Stockholm for rape directly implicated the footballer as the Swedish newspapers Aftonbladet and Expressen claimed.
French media published on Thursday that the forward had had “sexual relations” with a woman in a “consensual manner.”
The newspaper Le Parisien and RMC Sports radio added that Mbappé has messages from the woman “with a positive tone”, telling the story of a “happy meeting.”
– ‘Close to 100%’ –
After returning from Sweden and passing through Corsica, Mbappé, who did not attend the French national team call due to rest after an injury, rejoined Real Madrid training.
They asked Ancelotti what he thought that the player had traveled to Sweden during his rest days.
«Everyone chooses what they want to do. I went to London for two days and I haven’t asked anyone for permission. “I also don’t have a travel agency to organize the players’ trips,” he said.
“I talk to the players every day, I see the player every day, he works very well,” added Ancelotti, whose press conference focused on the star.
«He has taken advantage of this break to improve his condition, he is very well, looking forward to playing tomorrow. These 15 days have helped him a lot because he is a different player than he was before the break,” he continued.
Mbappé suffered a thigh injury at the end of September and French coach Didier Deschamps considered that giving him a rest during the October break was the best long-term option. Although the footballer did reappear with his club.
“I see him close to 100%, it is a pleasure to see him train,” Ancelotti concluded.
Real Madrid begins a series of matches against Celta that includes the Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday – a repeat of the last final won by the white giant – and the Clásico against Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabéu on Saturday.
© Agence France-Presse