The Real Madrid coach explained the reason why he wanted Mbappé on the field, although things didn’t go as he expected.
As he was just approaching the sideline to come onto the field, the stadium lit up at the sight of Mbappé, but at that very moment Raphinha scored Barça’s third goal. The Kylian effect faded, and Xabi’s plan took a turn.
The Madrid coach later assured that his intention with the Frenchman’s entry was to create imbalance and threat, something that, with the score against them, he couldn’t see reflected.
📸 Yasser Bakhsh – 2026 Getty Images
Mbappé was barely involved in the game with Real Madrid, but even so, he managed to provoke Frenkie De Jong’s sending off and assisted Asencio in the last play of the match with a header that could have been the equalizer.
Obviously, he wasn’t ready to play much more, but his mere presence already sent a warning message to the opponent.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.
📸 Yasser Bakhsh – 2026 Getty Images