When one of the highest-paid footballers in the world steps in front of a microphone and says he was told he's the fourth choice for striker at his own club - that's no longer a coach's call, that's a public dispute.

Kylian Mbappé did exactly that after Real Madrid's 2:0 win over Real Oviedo, when he was dropped from the starting eleven and came on as a substitute, sent off with whistles and jeers from part of the home crowd. "I'm not playing because the coach told me I'm the fourth choice for striker in the team, behind Mastantuono, Vinicius and Gonzalo," Mbappé said. Coach Alvaro Arbeloa later denied this as a misunderstanding.

Misunderstanding or not - the picture is clear. Mbappé came to Madrid as a global star who was meant to settle the striker hierarchy for the next decade. Instead, he ends this part of the season with statements like "I was ready to start, it's his decision, you have to respect it" and with a club that lost the title.

"It's normal. When we don't win, people choose players for the whistles. That happens at every club in the world," the Frenchman added. Sounds calm, but this is the same club where every internal argument is known across all of Spain within five minutes. The Real Madrid dressing room isn't a dressing room - it's a stage set for the next news cycle.

When asked about his weak form recently, Mbappé pushed back: "When I play every game, people say I play too much. When I get injured, they say I don't want to play. So, what is it?" A question that's the question for every player who gets blamed whether he plays or not. But usually those players don't pull in an eight-figure annual wage.

"I'm very happy in Madrid. Why would I want to leave?" - was his answer to the rumours of a departure. To Balkan fans, this is a familiar genre: a star clashes with the club on a public stage, then the season ends, summer comes, and suddenly everyone is friends again. The question is - who breaks first in Madrid?