"Pathetic excuse for a professional athlete" - Fans react as Kylian Mbappe misses yet another penalty and Real Madrid lose to Athletic Club
Fans have taken to social media to react to Kylian Mbappe's penalty miss for Real Madrid on December 4. The former Paris Saint-Germain star had an underwhelming performance as Los Blancos lost to Athletic Club at the San Mames.
Mbappe also missed a penalty in their 2-0 loss to Liverpool in the Champions League at Anfield on November 27. At the time of his miss, the score was 1-0, and a goal might have helped turn the tide for Real Madrid. However, his effort was saved by goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher.
In just a week, the situation seems to have only worsened, with the forward missing another penalty. Once again, he had the opportunity to draw Los Blancos level, as they were losing 1-0 when he put the ball on the penalty spot (68'). However, his spot-kick was saved - his second miss in five penalties this season.
Despite an equalizer from Jude Bellingham in the 78th minute, Real Madrid went on to lose the game, with Gorka Guruzeta scoring for Bilbao (90').
Afterwards, fans on social media lashed out at Kylian Mbappe.
"Kylian Mbappe is the WORST PLAYER EVER to be called ‘best in the world’ what a pathetic excuse for a professional athlete" a fan posted.
"Ancelotti out, Mbappé out with Ancelotti. How many times do we need to say it? Bruh, why haven't we learned from our mistakes? When you're the worst player on the pitch, you shouldn’t be taking the penalty. Simple as that," another wrote.
"What if you told someone 2 years ago that Raphinha would be a much better signing and footballer than Mbappe?" a fan asked.
"Mbappé is being trolled by both Real Madrid and Barcelona fans, not to mention his former club PSG fans, who also hate him now. Bro is fully cooked😭😭" another mocked.
"Those people who said Mbappé would break Ronaldo's records at Real Madrid and reach his levels deserve nothing but the death penalty. He's the worst player to ever play for us." an angry fan said.
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti speaks about Kylian Mbappe penalty miss
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has spoken about Kylian Mbappe's penalty miss. After their 2-1 loss at the hands of Athletic Bilbao, the manager faced questions about the forward's abilities from the press.
However, Ancelotti sought to defend Mbappe, telling the journalists in his press conference (via Fabrizio Romano on X):
“Mbappé is sad about the penalty, yes… but it can happen. Sometimes you score the penalty, sometimes not. I’m not gonna judge a performance by the penalty.”
Real Madrid have now lost the chance to reduce the four-point gap between themselves and Barcelona, who have 37 points and sit atop the La Liga table. Los Blancos still have a game in hand, but their performances will need to improve if they are to close that gap.