9 February 2026
World Cup winner, Golden Boot front runner, French superstar Kylian Mbappé sparked controversy after Real Madrid's match against Valencia, following a video in which he was sending harsh criticism at the referee and expressing his dissatisfaction with some of the officiating decisions. Real Madrid defeated Valencia 2-0, with goals from Álvaro Carreras and Mbappé in the second half securing the three points for the visitors in a match that was largely uneventful. This victory allowed Los Blancos to maintain their one-point gap behind league leaders Barcelona.
Although the night ended positively for the French star, his anger was evident towards the end of the first half. DAZN cameras captured him engaging in a heated discussion with the fourth official as the teams headed to the dressing rooms.
Mbappé appeared furious as he protested a refereeing decision, saying, "They're clowns! How is that offside? I want an explanation!" The referee, who didn't want to continue the discussion on camera, replied, "Not in front of the cameras, sorry. We'll talk inside."
But Mbappé remained unmoved, replying as he headed towards the tunnel, "Then let's go back inside. Why don't you come?" Clearly determined to continue the discussion, the referee tried to end the argument by saying, "We've already spoken," which only fueled the French star's anger.
Real Madrid sits in second place with 57 points, while Valencia is in 17th, just one point above the relegation zone.
