In a dramatic coda to Barcelona’s 3-2 victory over Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia, tensions from a simmering rivalry boiled over as young star Lamine Yamal conspicuously snubbed the traditional guard of honour for the defeated opponents, with Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé later appearing to reciprocate the gesture.
The incident followed a fiercely contested match in which Barcelona’s Raphinha scored twice, including a deflected second-half winner, to secure the trophy for coach Hansi Flick’s side. The final whistle, however, signaled the start of a new controversy.
As the victorious Barcelona players lined up to applaud the defeated Real Madrid squad while they collected their runners-up medals, 18-year-old winger Lamine Yamal was notably absent from the guard. Video footage showed Yamal standing several yards behind his teammates, drinking from a bottle and only briefly interacting with Real Madrid captain Dani Carvajal before moving to collect his own winner’s medal.
The apparent snub did not go unanswered. As Barcelona prepared to ascend the podium to lift the trophy, Real Madrid’s star substitute Kylian Mbappé was captured on camera gesturing to his teammates and seemingly ushering them away from forming their own guard of honour for the champions.
The French forward, who had entered the match late while returning from a knee injury but was unable to affect the outcome, cut a frustrated figure. This sequence of actions, with Yamal stepping back and Mbappé waving his team away, provided a stark visual of the deep-seated animosity between the clubs, turning a customary act of sportsmanship into a new flashpoint.
This post-match drama is the latest chapter in a saga of escalating tensions centered on Yamal. Days before the final, the Barcelona prodigy found himself at the center of a media storm following comments made during a livestream for Gerard Piqué’s Kings League.
In a segment with streamer and Real Madrid fan Ibai Llanos, Yamal was asked if Llanos’s team, Porcinos, reminded him of Real Madrid. “Yes, they steal, they complain,” Yamal replied, before quickly attempting to clarify his statement. The remark, widely interpreted as a direct jab at Los Blancos, reportedly infuriated the Madrid dressing room.
Spanish sports daily Marca indicated that Real Madrid players were “fed up” with Yamal’s behavior, viewing it as a lack of basic respect. In response, Real Madrid legend Iván Zamorano publicly criticized the youngster, stating, “I wouldn’t sign Lamine. He’s a crack, but he does not have the essence of what a Real Madrid player is,” while praising the humility of Barcelona’s Pedri.
The ill-feeling generated by Yamal’s pre-match comment spilled onto the pitch during the Clásico itself. Following the final whistle of the league match, a heated confrontation erupted, with Dani Carvajal approaching Yamal and making a talking gesture with his hand, implying the young winger “talks too much”.
This clash required intervention from other players to prevent it from escalating further.
Amid the criticism, figures close to Yamal have rallied to his defense. His agent, the influential Jorge Mendes, dismissed the uproar, stating, “I don’t understand all the noise around Lamine Yamal. We’ve all been 18 and young once… He’s handling it very well.”
Mendes added that the player is focusing on his work and reducing his public engagements to avoid further controversy. Barcelona manager Hansi Flick, while celebrating the “fantastic” Super Cup victory and praising his team’s spirit, had previously adopted a hands-off approach to players’ off-pitch activities, a stance for which he has received some criticism in light of the ongoing situation.
With the Super Cup decided, the focus now shifts back to a tight La Liga title race, where Barcelona currently holds a four-point lead at the top. However, the events in Saudi Arabia underscore that the battle extends far beyond the scoreline.
The guard of honour snubs and the ongoing war of words have laid bare a profound rift, ensuring that the next encounter between these two Spanish giants will be charged with even greater intensity and personal animosity.