Kylian Mbappe has received backlash for an apparent lack of sportsmanship after Real Madrid lost the Spanish Super Cup final against arch rivals Barcelona in a moment that also saw him seemingly defy Xabi Alonso’s orders.
The LaLiga leaders won a thriller as Raphinha scored either side of Robert Lewandowski’s classy finish, while Gonzalo Garcia and Vinicius Jr were on the scoresheet for Madrid.
Despite Frenkie de Jong’s late red card, Barcelona were able to hold on for what they hope will be the first of plenty of silverware this season.
But, after the game, Mbappe attracted attention when he seemingly told his side not to form a guard of honour for Barca as they went up to receive their winners medals and trophy in Saudi Arabia.
Prior to the trophy presentation, the Barca players had formed a guard of honour for Madrid to go and collect their medals. It was not, however, reciprocated by Madrid, and Mbappe seemed to be the reason for that.
Footage showed the France captain, who only played the last 20 minutes of the game, encouraging his team-mates not to applaud the winners of the game on three occasions.
Kylian Mbappe was spotted urging his Real Madrid team not to carry out a guard of honour for Barcelona after the Spanish Super Cup in a moment where he also defied boss Xabi Alonso
In a viral clip, Alonso (top left) was seen urging his players to give Barcelona a guard of honour
They then left the ceremony, opting not to watch their arch rivals lift the trophy they were vying to win at the start of the night.
Another clip later circulated of Alonso, who was sacked on Monday, urging Mbappe and his players to come over and give their rivals a guard of honour.
However, Mbappe took issue with this and was seen throwing his hands up in the air as he walked off, with Alonso seemingly admitting defeat.
Some have suggested that this moment summed up Alonso’s reign, where he has faced challenges to his authority from his own players, most notably Vinicius Jnr, who reportedly told Real president Florentino Perez that he wouldn’t renew his contract while the former Bayer Leverkusen boss remained in charge.
Commenting on the viral clip, Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague had said: ‘After this, Xabi must have thought “Nope, it won’t happen here”.’
Meanwhile, speaking after the game, Barca president Joan Laporta expressed his surprise at Real’s refusal to provide a guard of honour.
He said: ‘I’m surprised they didn’t give us a guard of honour. You have to be generous and respectful even when you lose, but I understand that it must have been a really tough time.
‘They must have been really struggling, and that’s why they reacted that way.’
Mbappe has been struggling with a knee injury of late, and it was a race against time to get him fit for Sunday’s final.
Though he has scored 29 goals in 25 games this season, Madrid are four points behind Barca in the title race as uncertainty continued around Alonso’s future until he was sacked on Monday.
The former midfielder clashed with various members of his star-studded team earlier this season, and appeared to be on the brink of losing his job until he somewhat turned things around.
Madrid are still trophyless this season, however, and made the decision to relieve the Spaniard of his duties a matter of months into his reign.
