Kylian Mbappe is coming under intense fire from Real Madrid fans as tensions in the Spanish capital continue to boil over.
Los Blancos have endured a difficult season which saw new boss Xabi Alonso sacked in January after just months at the helm.
They now sit second in LaLiga, 11 points adrift of fierce rivals Barcelona, who could confirm their league title with a win in El Clasico on Sunday.
And nobody is feeling the heat more than Mbappe, 27, after he came under fire for taking a trip to Sardinia with his new girlfriend, actor Ester Exposito.
The forward was recovering from a hamstring injury last weekend when he took the trip, but with the league out of reach and their Champions League exit coming just weeks earlier, the escape has rubbed fans up the wrong way.
Mbappe’s personal team responded to the backlash with a statement that read: “Part of the criticisms are based on an overinterpretation of elements related to a recovery period strictly supervised by the club”.
“This is not corresponding to the reality of the commitment and the work that Kylian does daily for the good of the team”.
The tensions were only compounded by reports emerging that Mbappe was involved in a confrontation with a member of the club’s coaching team.
The Athletic reported that the French international “spoke angrily in insulting terms” to a member of staff who called him offside during a training game.
The incident is said to have affected dressing room morale and, on top of the position of the club and his holiday controversy, has inspired a strong pushback from fans.