It’s (finally) over. Real Madrid’s nightmare season concluded on Saturday evening, with a match against Athletic which counted as butter for the Madrilenians. A 4-2 victory, marked by the moving farewells of Dani Carvajal and David Alaba, who will leave the club at the end of their contract. It was also Alvaro Arbeloa’s last match as Merengue coach.
If this match no longer had any sporting significance for the team, there was a man for whom this duel was important. It was none other than Kylian Mbappé. Indeed, the Frenchman had to seal his place as pichichi – top scorer in La Liga – on Saturday, while his rival Verdat Muriqi (Mallorca) could still come back to his level. Ultimately, both men scored in their respective encounters, and it was the Bondynois who finished in front, with 25 goals this season in the Spanish championship, compared to 23 for the Kosovar goleador.
A new message from the Bernabéu to Mbappé
However, it was anything but a dream evening for Mbappé. Generally, in these cases, the stadium reserves ovations and tributes to its player, with supporters proud to have the championship’s top scorer in its ranks. But KM10 was whistled and booed numerous times during the match, with Merengue fans not hesitating to show their discontent. It must be said that even if the stats plead in his favor, Mbappé had a fairly average second half of the season, with 13 TCC goals scored in 2026, often tasteless performances in big matches and a string of extra-sporting controversies which annoyed Madrid public opinion.
A rejection from supporters which did not go unnoticed in the press. “The Bernabéu has shown its preferences with the stars for next season. Today, the Bernabéu hugged Bellingham, told him “you are a guy who is there even when things are not going well”. On the other hand, the Bernabéu told Mbappé that scoring 40 goals is not enough. Today the Bernabéu has chosen between Bellingham and Mbappé”, for example, journalist Tomas Roncero got carried away on the Cadena SER. His gesture which could suggest a reconciliation with Arbeloa – he went to greet him after scoring – also does not seem to convince journalists or supporters. Suffice to say that Mbappé will have to do much better next season.
