Marcu Cucurella, Real Madrid player
Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images
Real Madrid and Barcelona remain locked in an intense battle for the La Liga title, with Hansi Flick’s side enjoying a three-point lead over their arch-rivals.
However, Jose Mourinho’s side earned early bragging rights by securing a 2-1 away victory at the Spotify Camp Nou in the first league Clasico.
The rivalry has often extended beyond the pitch, with Mundo Deportivo suggesting that the two Spanish giants are being treated differently by referees this season.
Striking difference in foul statistics
According to the Catalan outlet, Real Madrid have benefited from a significant statistical advantage in terms of fouls received and committed across the opening 12 league matches.
Los Blancos have received 171 fouls, the highest in La Liga, while committing just 102, the lowest figure in the competition.
This leaves Jose Mourinho’s side with a favourable differential of +69. Barcelona, on the other hand, have received just 122 fouls despite dominating possession.
Jose Mourinho of Real Madrid
Jose Mourinho’s team have been the most fouled in La Liga. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, 130 fouls have been awarded against them, resulting in a negative differential of -8. The figures also reveal some interesting individual numbers.
Jude Bellingham leads La Liga in fouls received with 31, followed by Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior with 23 each and Arda Guler with 21.
Lamine Yamal has received only 20 fouls despite being among the league’s most prolific dribblers.
Do the numbers really indicate refereeing favouritism?
The report argues that these figures suggest inconsistent refereeing standards. Even in the recent Clasico, Barça conceded 15 goals compared to Madrid’s 11.
However, while the statistical disparity is undeniable, it does not necessarily establish refereeing bias.
Lamine Yamal, Barcelona player
Lamine Yamal has been fouled at a similar rate to Kylian Mbappe. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
Real Madrid play on the counter-attack and have pacy attackers, often forcing opponents to commit fouls to stop them.
This style of football can skew foul numbers in their favour, while Barcelona play a very different style.
The only attacker whose style resembles that of Los Blancos‘ forwards is Lamine Yamal.
The Spanish teenager’s foul tally is quite similar to Kylian Mbappe’s. Thus, there is nothing in these numbers that particularly stands out.
Real Madrid cannot afford to worry about such claims of refereeing bias and need to focus on closing the three-point gap at the top after the international break.