In a clip that is doing the rounds on social media, Kylian Mbappe is seen openly refusing Xabi Alonso’s call for his players to give Barcelona a guard of honour after the Spanish Super Cup final in Jeddah on Sunday.
Xabi Alonso’s association with Real Madrid as a manager turned out to be nowhere as memorable as it was as a player, with the 44-year-old former midfielder
parting ways with the iconic Spanish club after just seven months in charge.
Alonso was on the verge of getting sacked following a string of poor results towards the end of 2025, including a 2-1 defeat against Manchester City, but had kept himself afloat with five consecutive wins across competitions.
The
narrow defeat against El Clasico rivals Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final in Jeddah, however, proved to be the last straw for Madrid, whose president Florentino Perez was never fully convinced by the former Bayer Leverkusen boss’ methods at Santiago Bernabeu.
And according to clips doing the rounds on social media, it appears Alonso did not enjoy the support of some of the more established players in his squad.
One such clip shows Kylian Mbappe openly undermining Alonso’s authority after the final at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah.
Mbappe flatly refuses Alonso’s order in Jeddah
Alonso had called for a guard of honour for Barcelona, who had won the Supercopa de Espana for a record-extending 16th time, having thrashed Madrid 5-2 last year at the same venue. Mbappe, however, flatly refused the manager’s instruction and was seen beckoning his teammates to move away from the dias after they had collected their runners-up medals.
Watch:
🚨 Xabi Alonso’s authority completely undermined by Kylian Mbappé last night. 👀
He wanted the team to form a guard of honour for Barcelona, Mbappé refused and the players listened to Mbappé. 🤯
He had no choice but to leave after that. 👋 pic.twitter.com/HXdHTLxAN7
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) January 12, 2026
The French superstar, who had joined the 15-time European champions in 2024 after seven years at Paris Saint-Germain, later paid tribute to Alonso after the latter parted ways with the club via “mutual agreement”.
“It’s been short but it was a pleasure to play for you and learn from you. Thank you for giving me the confidence since Day 1,” wrote on Instagram Stories. “I will remember you as a manager who had clear ideas and knows many things about football. Best of luck for your next chapter.”
The viral clip, however, raises questions over Mbappe’s equation with Alonso and whether it played a role in the latter’s exit from the club.
The 36-time Spanish champions, meanwhile,
have replaced Alonso with Alvaro Arbeloa, who had been coaching the club’s B team Castilla since June last year and has also worked extensively with their academy.
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