Most people thought it was Kylian Mbappe, Real Madrid’s biggest star, who wanted manager Xabi Alonso fired, but then it turns out that there are completely different forces at work.
Real Madrid at the centre of the controversy again after L’Equipe’s revelation. Kylian Mbappé was one of the first players from the club to send a goodbye message to now former Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso.
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The Frenchman started as a reserve in the Spanish Super Cup match against Barcelona due to an injury he has yet to recover from. However, according to the newspaper L’Equipe, the player made an effort to play a few minutes in the second half of the final and try to save Xabi Alonso from possible dismissal, which eventually became a reality.
According to French newspaper L’Equipe, the 2018 World Cup winner suspected that Xabi Alonso’s days at Real Madrid were numbered if they were to lose the Spanish Super Cup to Barcelona.
Mbappé, with an injury to his left knee, was due to be out until January 21; However, the player traveled to Saudi Arabia to be with the team and, in case he was needed, come in as a substitute. Luckily for him, the semi-final against Atlético Madrid ended in victory for the Whites, and his services were not necessary. In the final against Barcelona, however, the player came on as a substitute in the latter part of the match.
Xabi Alonso sent the Frenchman on the pitch in the 76th minute, replacing Gonzalo García. With time running out, the top scorer in the Spanish league had to look for the equaliser that would have sent the game to a penalty shootout.
The most prominent action of Mbappé during the time he played in the final was the red card he caused to Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong, after he hit him with a tackle on his leg, a situation that could have ended very badly for the French player.
With poor play in midfield, Kylian had no chances in front of goal, and Real Madrid ended up losing 3-2 to their archenemy. According to L’Equipe, Mbappé should not have played a few minutes or been in the squad due to the injury, but the player “sought” at all times to be useful to Xabi to prevent him from being sacked.
Did Mbappé respect Xabi Alonso?
Much has been said on social media about whether the French striker’s Instagram message to Xabi was genuine or part of a Real Madrid protocol following Alonso’s departure.
Internet users commented that the Frenchman’s message does not make much sense after the attitudes seen during the award ceremony in the final of the Spanish Super Cup, where Xabi asked him to form a line to create a corridor for Barcelona, and the Frenchman responded with rude gestures, ignoring his coach at the time.
Although social media users comment that the truth about the Xabi Alonso and Real Madrid squad case may never be known, many web surfers attribute the Spaniard’s departure to the French striker.
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