real madrid vs athletic club finished with a 4-2 win for Real Madrid as the club closed the 2025-26 season, and the match also served as farewells for Dani Carvajal and David Alaba.
Cadena SER reported clear signs of unrest inside the dressing room, focusing on a public dispute between Kylian Mbappe and manager Alvaro Arbeloa that has unfolded over recent weeks.
The report said Arbeloa had benched Mbappe in recent games to safeguard the player’s fitness, a decision the player interpreted as a demotion and then addressed publicly, according to the coverage.
After scoring in the final game, Mbappe appeared briefly to embrace Arbeloa on camera, but Cadena SER described the reality differently, saying Mbappe went to the sidelines to drink water and that Arbeloa extended his hand first to call for a truce.
Absences, Travel and Questions Over Leadership
Vinicius Jr was absent from the game after being granted permission to travel to Brazil to rest ahead of the FIFA World Cup, and he did not attend Dani Carvajal’s farewell, the report said.
Cadena SER noted that as captain, Vinicius’s decision to miss the farewell prompted questions among observers about priorities within the squad and the message sent to teammates.
The report added that questions had previously been raised about Mbappe travelling to Italy during an El Clasico which decided the league title, and those same concerns resurfaced over Vinicius’s absence.
Cadena SER suggested the travel choices and visible tensions could affect perceptions of the club and its dressing room, and the outlet presented those developments as evidence of broader unrest ahead of the next campaign.
