Bijan Robinson Plans Madrid Meetup with Vinícius Jr. and Mbappé

Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson plans to meet privately with Real Madrid stars Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé while in Madrid this weekend.

The NFL’s current rushing leader is in Spain for a game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

Robinson made the announcement Thursday, confirming he has known Vinícius for years and recently met Mbappé at the French national team’s headquarters.

“I’ll tell him, just stay the course,” Robinson said when asked what advice he would give Vinícius, who has scored just once for Real Madrid this season.

Vinícius is serving a four-game suspension in La Liga after pulling an opponent’s hair and protesting a red card.

Robinson said he plans to sit down with both soccer stars before the Falcons-Bengals kickoff.

“Don’t worry about external noise, because once that creeps in, then you start to listen to it, and you start to believe what people have to say about you,” Robinson said.

He urged Vinícius to stay off social media and trust that “God’s plan for his career is going to be amazing no matter what the situation is.”

Robinson, who wears No. 7 like Vinícius, first met the Brazilian through their jeweler when Brazil played in the United States a few years ago.

Last week, Robinson met Mbappé and other France national team players during an NFL promotional event.

Mbappé put on pads and a helmet and played some American football with Robinson, who later kicked a soccer ball around.

Robinson said despite his own great stats this season — 780 yards rushing after eight games — he does not feel like he is playing as the best running back in the league.

“I’ve got to be better for this team. I’ve got to be better for the offense,” he said.

“Me and my running back coach, we always point this laser beam at the ceiling because we’re always trying to play at the high.”

Robinson’s visit comes amid a separate controversy involving Mbappé.

A clip from the French talk show “The Bridge,” filmed earlier in 2026 and posted online on October 28, showed Mbappé describing a meme of himself as “some guy, I think he’s a Chinese dictator.”

The specific image used Mao Zedong.

By the next day, three Chinese sponsors — beverage maker Dongpeng, dairy producer Mengniu and cheesemaker Milkground — had cut ties with the French captain.

State broadcaster CCTV, through its parent China Media Group, suspended all transmissions of La Liga matches and advertising featuring Mbappé.

CCTV said apologies from La Liga, Real Madrid and the player himself were an “absolute prerequisite” for the suspension to be lifted.

Mbappé issued a statement in three languages.

“My comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world,” he said in the apology published by Time.

He added that he had “deep respect for the Chinese people and their history.”

Beijing accepted the gesture, up to a point.

Foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters: “We take seriously t” — the source text cuts off there.

Separately, Chinese AI chatbot DeepSeek, when asked from a Chinese IP address about Mbappé’s comment on Mao, called the allegations “fake news.”

Another Chinese chatbot, Doubao, returned a line about rule violations: “This content is suspected of violating the rules for using Doubao.”

From a French IP address, the same tools were more forthcoming.

Dola, the international build of ByteDance’s chatbot and Doubao’s cousin, provided details when queried from France, though it remained vague on specifics.

DeepSeek on a French connection declined to answer, saying the question went beyond its remit.

Marie Holzman, a China specialist, told France 24: “What you are seeing is the reality when it comes to news in China today.”

Jennifer Pan, a Stanford political communication professor, said Chinese chatbots filter representations that diverge from the Communist Party’s official historical narrative, not references to Mao as such.

The Ballon d’Or ranking from 2026 also remains a talking point around Mbappé.

He finished second in the 2026 Ballon d’Or.

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois told Canal+ after Real Madrid’s victory over AEK Athens on Wednesday that Mbappé has already turned his attention to his next challenge.

“Has Kylian got over it? Yes, it’s the people who vote, and sometimes it’s hard to understand some of the votes,” Courtois said.

“Some journalists don’t put him in the TOP 10, nor Lamine Yamal, nor Kane… I don’t understand the way some journalists vote, but well, that’s how it always is.

“He’s trying to win next year’s Ballon d’Or; he’s started scoring, and we’ll try to win the Champions League or La Liga.”

Robinson’s meeting with both players is scheduled before Sunday’s game against the Bengals.

It remains unclear exactly when or where the three will meet.

Robinson said the conversations will be private.

But the advice he has already shared publicly offers a glimpse of what he might say behind closed doors.

“If you have an up-and-down or a low or something like that, we all have those moments and we all had those weeks,” Robinson said.

“But for him, it’s just making sure that he’s doing all the things that he’s supposed to for his team and doing that at a high level.

“So when his number is called, it’s not a hesitation to do what he does best on the pitch.”

The Falcons running back has built a friendship with Vinícius through their shared jersey number and a mutual jeweler.

His bond with Mbappé is newer, forged through an NFL event where the two traded sports.

Robinson kicked a soccer ball around with Mbappé.

Mbappé put on pads and a helmet and played American football with Robinson.

The cross-sport connection is rare in professional athletics.