EXCLUSIVE | ‘Vinicius Jr. last season was fighting for the Ballon d’Or. Where is he? – Former France international leaps to Kylian Mbappé’s defence | OneFootball

Former France international and AS Monaco, Arsenal, Barcelona, and Chelsea midfielder Emmanuel Petit has leapt to the defence of compatriot Kylian Mbappé (26) and criticised the Franc captain’s Real Madrid teammate, Vinícius Jr. (24) in an exclusive interview with Get Football.

“It’s become fashionable to criticise Kylian Mbappé since he left Paris Saint-Germain. He’s been under a lot of criticism since he signed for Madrid,” began Petit, speaking ahead of Real Madrid’s UEFA Champions League quarter-final second-leg against Arsenal. Los Blancos have a 3-0 deficit to overturn at the Bernabeu on Wednesday night.

“He had a very difficult time at the start of the season, off the pitch as well. He had personal issues as well. We’ve been talking about that [in France] the last few days. [The dispute ] with Paris Saint-Germain for big big money. The story of what happened in Sweden as well. The story of what happened with the national team at the start of the season. So all of those things have put a lot of pressure on Mbappé. We had a big talk on the radio in France last weekend, and I was the only one to defend Mbappé because I still believe he’s a really really good quality player. He’s got really good stats with Madrid so far this season,” added Petit.

The Frenchman continued, “He went through a really difficult time for the first three to four months, but I think he’s irresponsible of the fact that Madrid wanted him since two-three years and Madrid didn’t do the job to bring more players in midfield. When you lose Kroos and with the decline of Modrić, you know that you cannot rule the midfield with Eduardo Camavinga, with Aurélien Tchouaméni, with those guys. You knew it at the start of the season. This team doesn’t have the right balance, and this is the big issue for Real Madrid. So, is Mbappé’s signing a mistake for Madrid? I would say no. “

In defending Mbappé, Petit also then criticised Viníicus Jr., who accoridng to the Frenchman is not providing the same performances as he did last year, when the Brazilian was touted as the favourite to win the Ballon d’Or. That prize, of course, ultimately went to Manchester City’s Rodri.

“I think Mbappé is not responsible for the lack of players. So he is suffering in this situation as well. Vinicius Jr. last season was fighting for the Ballon d’Or. Where is he at the moment? He’s not there anymore. Is he distracted by the offer that he received from Saudi Arabia? Probably. Is he distracted by the fact that Mbappé is now the star of the team? Maybe, as well. But I think he is so far from his level, and he’s not the only one in the first 11. So, is Mbappé responsible for this situation? No,” Petit told the Get Football network.

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Emmanuel Petit was speaking exclusively to GFFN on behalf of William Hill Vegas.