At this point, there is only but pride left to play for Real Madrid in the 2025/26 La Liga season. Real are going to be trophyless once more, and their collapse against Real Betis, a 1-1 draw in a match they coudl have easliy lost with how poorly they defended, was a reminder of just how far they have fallen this season.
And the man they signed who has only dragged the club down further, Kylian Mbappe, was nowhere to be found in this matchup. Mbappe flubbed multiple great chances, and while he did at least create a couple of good opportunities for his teammates and showed his usual threat, it is telling that the final result was another winless match for Real Madrid.
PSG manager Luis Enrique used to constantly get on Mbappe's case for not defending enough with the team and for playing his own game instead of being a part of the collective, and though the former Barcelona treble winner was laughed at for saying that he'd win more without the French superstar, the 2024/25 Champions League triumph and even his performances in the competition this season have only proven that point right.
Kylian Mbappe is the inexplicable
Although PSG were the ones who gave Mbappe record contracts and even insane power in the front office in order to keep him away from Real Madrid, they, too, eventually learned that life would be better without Mbappe. Enrique opened their eyes to team football, and how ironic that the French gem before him, Ousmane Dembele, won the Ballon d'Or and Champions League crown before Mbappe, who will 100 percent go without either honor in 2025/26.
Kylian Mbappe is still putting up strong numbers for Real Madrid this season, and when you watch him at an individual level, the skill and athleticism are clearly on display. He's not a bad player. Nor was he at PSG. But that is not the point of discussion here. The point is in club football - and not the national team where France can get away with everyone just playing for Mbappe - can a top team ever truly achieve what a top team should with Mbappe?
PSG didn't think so after initially believing in him, and although Florentino Perez was obsessed for years with bringing Mbappe as the heir to Cristiano Ronaldo, you have to wonder if even the stubborn Real Madrid "Presi" is coming to the same conclusion.
Because if Real Madrid can't even put Real Betis away with Mbappe wasting chances, sauntering in defense, and abdicating his positional responsibilities as a striker, how can they beat Bayern Munich across two legs next year? Let alone Barcelona in a title race? Mbappe, each week, only proves PSG's mercurial manager is actually a genius beyond our levels.
Add us as a preferred source on Google