Defeat reshapes narratives, and few clubs illustrate that better than Real Madrid. Finals are embraced as defining moments when victory feels within reach, only to be reframed as inconveniences once the trophy slips away. Sunday night in Jeddah followed that pattern precisely, as Xabi Alonso attempted to soften the blow of [losing the Spanish Super Cup final to FC Barcelona](https://semprebarca.com/raphinha-9-0-frenkie-de-jong-8-5-barcelona-3-2-real-madrid-player-ratings/) by downgrading the competition itself.
Only a day earlier, the tone could not have been more different. Alonso had described the Clasico final as “special,” stressing that his team wanted to be there and were prepared to compete for silverware.
**“This is a special match. We wanted to be here when we saw the Super Cup on the calendar. It’s a final we have to know how to compete in to win, and we are ready,”** he said at the time. It was the language of a coach who understood the symbolic weight of a Barcelona–Real Madrid final, particularly on neutral ground with a trophy at stake. Yet the next day, following a 3–2 defeat, that narrative quietly evaporated.
According to [Mundo Deportivo](https://www.mundodeportivo.com/futbol/fc-barcelona/20260112/1002599820/xabi-alonso-repite-excusa-caer-barca-uso-perder-mundial.html), Xabi Alonso argued that **“we have to move on because the Super Cup is the least important title at stake.”** The swift shift was striking, especially as Barcelona’s players were still celebrating on the same pitch.
What made the comments resonate even more was their resemblance to an earlier episode. Last summer, after Real Madrid were dismantled 4–0 by Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup semi-final, Alonso reached for the same explanation. **“This is the end of this season, not the start of the next,”** he said at the time. On both occasions, responsibility was deflected, context was stretched, and the result was framed as something transitional rather than telling.
The pattern is hard to ignore that when Madrid lose decisively, the competition is reclassified. Importance becomes relative. Timing becomes inconvenient. The problem with that approach is that it rarely convinces anyone outside the losing dressing room, least of all Barcelona, who treated the Super Cup exactly as a final should be treated.
From a Barca perspective, the contrast was revealing. Hansi Flick spoke about control, maturity, and competing until the final whistle, and his team played with that mindset, even after setbacks within the match.
There is also an irony in Alonso’s attempt to diminish the trophy. Real Madrid accepted FIFA’s mandate to chase the Club World Cup with full intensity, only to later argue that such tournaments fall outside the **“real”** season when results go wrong. The Super Cup, too, only seems minor when it ends in defeat.
Barcelona do not need Madrid’s validation to enjoy lifting silverware, as titles are not ranked by post-match press conferences. And if this Super Cup was supposedly insignificant, the frustration behind Alonso’s words suggested otherwise. When Madrid start explaining why a final did not matter, it usually means Barcelona did something very right.