“It’s a set-up because Mbappé is very famous”

“Fake news”, “set-up”, “insane rumor”: in Madrid, many Real fans say they “trust” Kylian Mbappé in the face of rape accusations mentioned by Swedish media, even if some say they are cautious about the vagueness surrounding the matter.

“I think it’s fake news, a false rumor, it doesn’t make sense,” says Juan Castro, interviewed by AFP near the Santiago-Bernabéu stadium, Real’s emblematic venue located in the heart of the Spanish capital.

Kylian Mbappé, “I think he’s an intelligent person, with a lot of abilities: he’s not going to make a stupid mistake like that,” continues this 72-year-old retiree, on the other hand worried about the image of Real.

“I think it’s a set-up, because Kylian Mbappé is very famous,” says Jorge Costa Labería, a 58-year-old former fisherman. “It shows, he’s a normal person, friend of all the players (…) He has no problems.”

The Swedish prosecutor’s office announced on Tuesday that it was conducting an investigation into rape after the French attacker and his entourage visited Stockholm last week, without however naming any names.

Swedish media assure that the star is at the heart of the investigations. But the Blues captain’s lawyer told AFP on Tuesday that she did not know whether the Swedish investigation was indeed targeting her client.

This story of rape, “for me, it’s a lie (…) there is nothing concrete” in this affair, believes Marcelino Álvarez, 88 years old, deeming the facts mentioned by the Swedish press unlikely .

“I think it was an opportunity that was created to attack Mbappé, all of this comes from PSG in my opinion,” continues this retiree, echoing the innuendo expressed by the player himself.

On the social network LFP).

The former Parisian is demanding 55 million euros in unpaid wages and other bonuses from his former club. The LFP announced on Tuesday that it would render its decision in this case on October 25.

Without venturing into this area, Yssouf Soumahoro, an Ivorian fan of the Madrid club, considers it “a little surprising” the fact that the Real star is thus implicated.

“We, as Real supporters, we trust him,” specifies this 42-year-old civil administrator, who nevertheless calls for caution: “we are awaiting the conclusions of the courts,” he explains.

For Mateo Baez, an 18-year-old student, only Mbappé knows if the accusations are “true or false”. But one thing is certain, it is that “it is very serious that he is accused of this” and this controversy “can affect his performance”, he believes.

“Until the situation is clarified, it is difficult to say,” says Celia Mejía, a 28-year-old care worker. These accusations are likely to “affect a lot” the club but “let’s wait and see”, she adds.

Very discreet since the start of the affair, Kylian Mbappé spoke in a video published Thursday by his club, after being crowned player of the month for September by Real fans.

“I am very happy, I want to thank all the supporters,” assures the French star in Spanish, who last month scored six goals in five matches for his club. “I hope we continue like this,” he concludes.