‘Is he an attacker or a defender?’ — Mbappe’s father defends him from critics who tell him to track back

Kylian Mbappe's father has come to his defence, shielding him from critics of his attitude

Kylian Mbappé has never had his goal-scoring questioned, but his reluctance to track back continues to spark debate.

Now, his father, Wilfrid Mbappé, has stepped in to defend him, making it clear that his son’s role is to score goals, not chase full-backs.

Wilfrid Mbappé pushes back against critics

Mbappé’s defensive work has long been seen as his weakness, with coaches like Luis Enrique publicly highlighting it during his final year at Paris Saint-Germain.

The Spanish coach even argued PSG would be stronger without their talisman, and ironically, the club went on to lift their first UEFA Champions League trophy after his departure.

At Real Madrid, Mbappé delivered staggering numbers, 44 goals in 59 games, but Los Blancos ended the season without a major trophy, renewing questions about his place in a collective system.

Speaking to L’Équipe, Wilfrid Mbappé hit back: “The full-back, is he an attacker or a defender? What do we want from him? We criticise a guy when he scores 60 goals in a season. I don’t care if a full-back crosses well, and I don’t expect Kylian to spend his time tracking back. His job is different.”

Mbappe senior doubles down on Real Madrid star’s role

Wilfrid, who once coached his son at youth level, doubled down on the argument, stressing that Mbappé should be judged by what makes him unique.

“The run that PSG winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia does in the Champions League final to track back and tackle in the 90th minute, I don’t care. It isn’t Kylian’s game. He does things others cannot,” he said.

For Wilfrid, the message is clear: attackers are meant to create and score. Defensive graft has its place, but if Mbappé is shackled by it, his brilliance is wasted.