After the China crisis: French journalist says there is a conspiracy to bring down Mbappé
Has the Real Madrid striker become a victim?
French journalist Daniel Riolo has leapt to the defence of Kylian Mbappé, praising the forward's mental toughness and his ability to shrug off a brutal week at Real Madrid, following the storm he kicked up in China over a satirical image he posted containing a joke about Chinese leader Mao Zedong, on top of the fallout from his failure to land the Ballon d'Or.
Speaking on the programme "L'After Foot" on French radio station "RMC", Riolo praised the mental strength Mbappé showed in handling the crisis, saying: "We must certainly shed light on that completely absurd story that appeared right after the Ballon d'Or ceremony. Mbappé shows a mental toughness far above the normal level. Getting past something like this was not simple at all, as it carried political and diplomatic dimensions, and an enormous burden was placed on him, and then a few days later he delivers a performance like the one he produced yesterday, even if it was against a modest side, which confirms that we are dealing with a truly strong character."
Despite the pressure, Mbappé bounced back by scoring against Racing Santander, and Riolo was quick to highlight it.
The French journalist warned, though, that the pressure on Mbappé will not ease until the root of it is addressed. That root, he believes, is a scheme or conspiracy targeting the Real Madrid striker.
He said: "We already knew that, but a story like this... he has never been subjected to anything similar before. What happened in Sweden was serious, as he was accused of rape, before the prosecutor's office, following an investigation that lasted two months, concluded that there was no criminal act. But do you realise what is happening? It is often said that everything surrounding Mbappé is irrational, but this story comes close to the limits of extremism, the matter is insane."
Astonished at the scale of the backlash, Riolo added: "For all these accusations to be levelled at Mbappé based on a video clip dating back months, then for the violent reaction to come from China deciding simply not to broadcast the matches, this is something completely irrational. What happened in Sweden was also irrational, and to this day we know absolutely nothing about that case. What I mean is that it did not lead to any outcome. Did you see what it produced? Are there still people who believe that there is no conspiracy aimed at bringing him down?"
He went on, asking: "Do you really think that talk of a conspiracy is merely a theory? The video clip that appeared after three months, and what happened in Sweden... there are too many coincidences, really."
