"Totally irrational": Riolo's theory on the controversies targeting Mbappé despite his strong mentality

Riolo praised Mbappé's mental strength for performing well against Santander just days after finishing second in the Ballon d'Or and amid a diplomatic row over a joke about Mao Zedong.

Daniel Riolo commended Kylian Mbappé's mental resilience on Monday after a turbulent week for the Real Madrid forward. Mbappé finished second in the 2026 Ballon d'Or, narrowly beaten by Harry Kane, then faced a media storm when a joke he made about Mao Zedong—filmed months earlier for a podcast with teammate Aurélien Tchouaméni—sparked diplomatic controversy in China, leading the country to stop broadcasting Real Madrid matches.

Despite the turmoil, Mbappé returned to action on Sunday in La Liga and scored the opening goal in Real Madrid's 3-0 victory over Santander. Riolo highlighted this performance as evidence of exceptional mental fortitude, noting that bouncing back from such a heavy political and diplomatic situation within days showed Mbappé's strength.

Riolo went further, suggesting a pattern of irrational controversies surrounding the France captain, pointing to the Sweden investigation (which was dropped without charges) and the timing of the Mao video's release months after it was filmed. He questioned whether there was a coordinated effort to undermine Mbappé, calling the sequence of events too coincidental to ignore.