The Spanish Super Cup final did not end quietly, even after the final whistle, as post-match scenes involving Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe became one of the main talking points.
The French forward, who featured only in the final 20 minutes of the match, drew attention for his behaviour during the awards ceremony, which many interpreted as a lack of sportsmanship.
As is customary after finals, the Barcelona players formed a guard of honour to acknowledge Real Madrid as runners-up.
What did he do?
Interestingly, moments later, Mbappe was seen gesturing towards his teammates, urging them not to applaud Barcelona and to leave the pitch area quickly.
Images showed the forward repeating this gesture several times, signalling his displeasure with the situation.
When it was time for the teams to approach the podium to collect medals and the trophy, Real Madrid did not return the gesture shown earlier by Barcelona.
💥 MAL PERDRE DE MBAPPÉ
🤬 El francès del Reial Madrid no ha volgut que els seus companys fessin el passadís al Barça
❌ Els altres jugadors l'han seguit i els blaugranes no han tingut passadís de campions#ElClàssic
📲 https://t.co/xhB56dlluh pic.twitter.com/ezq5yRCuuN
— Esport3 (@esport3) January 11, 2026
This decision, influenced at least in part by Mbappe’s visible stance, was met with audible disapproval from sections of the crowd, particularly from Barcelona supporters present in the stands.
As such, not all Real Madrid players reacted in the same way. While some followed Mbappe’s lead and avoided applauding the champions, others maintained a more reserved and respectful posture during Barcelona’s celebrations.
As expected, the episode has been poorly received by many Barcelona fans, who viewed it as unnecessary given the context of a tightly contested final.
Notably, the controversy surrounding Mbappe added to an already tense evening, as the match itself featured several heated moments, most notably after a strong challenge by Raul Asencio on Pedri.
That incident triggered a brief brawl involving multiple players, including Raphinha, Federico Valverde, Huijsen and Lamine Yamal.
The referee eventually restored order by issuing several yellow cards, including one to the original offender.