The tension inside the Real Madrid camp reached a boiling point this weekend, as a crushing 2-0 defeat to Barcelona in El Clasico officially ended their trophy hopes for the season. It's been a campaign to forget for Los Blancos, and the drama doesn't stop at the final whistle.
If the loss itself wasn't painful enough, the club is now dealing with internal fractures that have spilled into public view. Just last week, reports emerged of two separate training ground altercations: Antonio Rudiger was involved in a heated exchange with Alvaro Carreras, while a clash between Aurelien Tchouameni and Fede Valverde reportedly left the latter hospitalized with a concussion. When a dressing room reaches this breaking point, Sunday's flat performance feels less like a surprise and more like an inevitability.
Adding fuel to the fire is Kylian Mbappe, whose off-field choices are drawing increasing scrutiny. The French superstar opted out of the El Clasico squad entirely, choosing to stay in Madrid rather than travel with his teammates. While he attempted to show support by posting an Instagram story of himself watching the match with the caption "Hala Madrid," the timing couldn't have been worse. He posted while already trailing 2-0, thanks to goals from Marcus Rashford and Ferran Torres, and fans were quick to call him out for what they saw as a hollow gesture.
Mbappe's recent activities—including high-profile outings with girlfriend Ester Exposito—have reportedly raised eyebrows within the club's hierarchy. For a team that prides itself on unity and resilience, these distractions couldn't come at a worse time. While the 25-year-old has been in strong individual form, his first two seasons at the Bernabeu have yielded no major silverware, and the weight of expectation is starting to show.
As the dust settles on a disastrous campaign, all eyes are on president Florentino Perez. There's no indication that Mbappe is looking for an exit just yet, but if the club's fortunes don't turn around quickly, the pressure to make a difficult decision—and a potential sale—will only grow louder.