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By LEWIS BROWNING, SPORTS REPORTER Published: 04: 22 AEDT, 13 January 2026 | Updated: 08: 07 AEDT, 13 January 2026 66 View comments Kylian Mbappe has received backlash for his actions in a moment which may have suggested Xabi Alonso position as Real Madrid boss was doomed after the club's defeat by Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final.  Alonso was sacked on Monday evening and replaced by his former Liverpool team-mate Alvaro Arbeloa following the 3-2 loss to Barca in Saudi Arabia on Sunday. While Barcelona celebrated,  Mbappe attracted attention after the game when he seemingly told his side not to form a guard of honour for the victors as they went up to receive their winners medals and trophy. Prior to the trophy presentation, the Barca players had formed a guard of honour for Madrid to go and collect their medals. It was not, however, reciprocated by Madrid, and Mbappe seemed to be the reason for that as he appeared to go against Alonso's orders.  In a clip circulating on social media, Alonso was seen urging Mbappe and his players to come over and give their rivals a guard of honour.  However, Mbappe took issue with this and was seen throwing his hands up in the air before he walked off, with Alonso seemingly admitting defeat as he headed towards the direction of his star man. After this, Xabi must have thought "Nope, it won't happen here"(Mbappe asking the team, and him, not to do the guard of honour to Barcelona) pic. twitter. com/43GLf E9AFj Kylian Mbappe appeared to defy the orders of Xabi Alonso after Real Madrid's defeat by Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final In a viral clip, Alonso (top left) was seen urging his players to give Barcelona a guard of honour Some have suggested that this moment summed up Alonso's reign, where he has faced challenges to his authority from his own players, most notably from Vinicius Jnr, who reportedly told Real president Florentino Perez that he wouldn't renew his contract while the former Bayer Leverkusen boss remained in charge.  Commenting on the viral clip, Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague said: 'After this, Xabi must have thought "Nope, it won't happen here". ' Other footage put the France captain's actions in the spotlight, with one video showing how he encouraged his team-mates not to applaud the winners of the game on three occasions. The Real team then left the ceremony, opting not to watch their arch rivals lift the trophy they were vying to win at the start of the night. However, after the dust settled on Sunday's defeat, Mbappe did share a heartfelt message for Alonso following his sacking.  'It’s been short but it was a pleasure to play for you and learn from you, ' the French star said. 'Thank you for giving me the confidence since Day 1. 'I will remember you as a manager who had clear ideas and knows many things about football. Best of luck for your next chapter. ' Meanwhile, speaking after the game, Barca president Joan Laporta expressed his shock at Real's refusal to provide a guard of honour. He said: 'I'm surprised they didn't give us a guard of honour. You have to be generous and respectful even when you lose, but I understand that it must have been a really tough time. 'They must have been really struggling, and that's why they reacted that way. ' Mbappe has been struggling with a knee injury of late, and it was a race against time to get him fit for Sunday's final. Though he has scored 29 goals in 25 games this season, Madrid are four points behind Barca in the title race as uncertainty continued around Alonso's future until he was sacked on Monday. The former midfielder clashed with various members of his star-studded team earlier this season, and appeared to be on the brink of losing his job until he somewhat turned things around. Madrid are still trophyless this season, however, and made the decision to relieve the Spaniard of his duties a matter of months into his reign.
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