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Speaking to the media (h/t AS), Marcel Desailly, who is currently in Madrid as a member of the Laureus Academy, spoke about all things Real Madrid.
The French football legend notably offered his thoughts on the Gianluca Prestianni and Vinicius Jr. situation.
He also talked about Real Madrid’s current form and how the club will cope with the loss of Kylian Mbappe, who has been sidelined with an injury.
Desailly on Vinicius-Prestianni incident
Desailly was asked about the Prestianni and Vinicius case, with the Frenchman notably lauding Jose Mourinho for changing his stance on the issue.
“I’m glad to see that Prestianni didn’t play and that Mourinho changed his approach to the issue a bit. He (Vinicius) can celebrate. There’s no problem,” he said.
Desailly was particularly talking about how Mourinho warned Prestianni that his career with him would be over if he is found guilty of the racism charges.
He added that people have the wrong perception of Vinicius Jr. and that the racism he faces week in and week out is not right.
“The problem is the perception people have of Vinicius; we have to put an end to it and accept the fact that some things need to change. Because it’s unacceptable for things like this to happen inside a stadium.”
Desailly has strongly backed Vinicius. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
“The player plays, he celebrates, and that doesn’t make it a provocation that justifies those offences. I’m glad that FIFA is very focused on these cases,” he said.
Desailly on Real Madrid and Mbappe
Desailly, who won the Champions League in 1993 with Marseille, talked about Real Madrid as well and how they can return to the top.
“In terms of speed of execution, they aren’t as composed, but they have individual players who can maintain the standard until, collectively, they manage to fine-tune what’s needed to become that famous Real Madrid again.
“But, in the meantime, it’s good that they have a bit of composure,” the Frenchman pointed out.
Desailly also talked about the injury to Mbappe and how that will impact Real Madrid in the short run. He predicted Los Blancos to return to their possession-based style.
“Simply put, he’s injured. He has very good goal-scoring statistics. The coach now needs to readjust the philosophy, and Real Madrid will return to their usual possession-based style.
“And Mbappé is the icing on the cake, an incredible player. When he returns, he’ll still be just too good, as always,” he concluded.
While Mbappe’s injury was a blow in itself, Real Madrid’s problems have been compounded further with the club recently confirming the injury of Rodrygo, who could be ruled out for almost a year and will miss the upcoming FIFA World Cup.