Barcelona president Joan Laporta criticises Real Madrid star’s gesture during medal ceremony

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·12 January 2026

Barcelona president Joan Laporta criticises Real Madrid star’s gesture during medal ceremony

Laporta reacts to Super Cup controversy

Barcelona president Joan Laporta criticises Real Madrid star’s gesture during medal ceremony

OneFootball Videos

Barcelona president Joan Laporta criticized Real Madrid player Kylian Mbappe after Barcelona won the Spanish Super Cup in Jeddah.

Television cameras caught ،Kylian Mbappé gesturing toward the tunnel, seemingly encouraging Madrid players to avoid standing in line as Barcelona’s squad walked out to collect their medals and lift the trophy.

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Laporta addressed the moment in interview with "Catalunya Ràdio" expressing surprise at the French star’s reaction.

“What Mbappé did surprised me,” Laporta said. “In victory and in defeat, you must show generosity and respect. This is sport and you should behave normally. I believe that in winning, we were respectful of our opponent,and that’s why I don’t understand Mbappé’s behaviour.”

The Barcelona president suggested that tension from previous meetings between the sides may have carried over into the final.

“Something happened between the players in the last league match, and they were a bit tense. That’s understandable,” he added. “To be honest, I didn’t see Mbappé’s reaction at that exact moment but I understand they were very upset. I think they knew our chances of winning were higher and they felt that on the pitch,which made them angry.”

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The episode adds another layer to already charged rivalry between Spain’s two giant coming after week of silence from Real Madrid’s hierarchy and amid strained relations between the clubs off the field.

Barcelona, meanwhile used the final to respond to their earlier league defeat showing resilience and control in tightly contested Clasico.