Kylian Mbappe not affected by alleged rape reports – Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti

Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti says Kylian Mbappe is “happy” and unfazed by reports linking him to an alleged rape in Sweden last week.

The claims first emerged after a report by Swedish media outlet Aftonbladet said Stockholm police were investigating an alleged rape in the city and that officers as part of the case had visited the hotel where Mbappe and some of his friends were staying last week.

Swedish prosecutors confirmed on Tuesday that a report had been received of a rape at a hotel in central Stockholm and that a preliminary investigation was being carried out by senior prosecutor Marina Chirakova.

Mbappe did not play for France during the international break for fitness reasons. Instead, he traveled to Sweden with friends and family in his free time.

According to the Aftonbladet report, police visited the hotel on Monday and Mbappe and his friends left Sweden on Friday. It said the police investigation was launched on Saturday.

That report appeared on Monday and soon after, stories repeating the claims appeared in other media outlets, including in Mbappe’s native France. It prompted the striker to write “FAKE NEWS!!!” in a post on X that links to one of several published articles.

“I speak to the players every day,” Ancelotti said on Friday ahead of Madrid’s trip to Celta Vigo. “I can say something about what I said before: at the moment it is speculation. I see the player every day and he is happy, I don’t see him affected at all.

“He used the break to significantly improve his condition and recover from his injury. He is happy, he wants to play tomorrow and be important for the team. I see him physically and mentally almost at 100 percent, he is doing very well. It’s a joy to watch him train.”

Speaking to French television channel TF1 on Tuesday, Mbappe’s lawyer Marie-Alix Canu-Bernard claimed she did not even know whether Mbappe was the subject of the alleged rape lawsuit.

She said: “He is never alone. He is never in danger of being put in a situation where he would take a risk. For this reason, the fact that he could have committed reprehensible acts is completely ruled out. That is an absolute certainty.”

A statement from Mbappe’s entourage also said: “Kylian Mbappe will under no circumstances tolerate his integrity, reputation and honor being damaged by unfounded allegations.”

“In order to put an end to this systematic destruction of his image, all necessary legal actions will be taken to find out the truth and prosecute any person or media outlet involved in the moral harassment and defamatory treatment that Kylian Mbappe repeatedly suffers.”

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(Top photo: Denis Doyle/Getty Images)