Real Madrid’s enormous collapse this season had one last parade to the slaughterhouse, a path that it followed docilely, like a little lamb delivered to its destiny, without any gestures of rebellion with the ball at its feet. Barcelona had never been under his nose. “We congratulate him,” said Álvaro Arbeloa with a sullen tone as soon as he sat down in the press room while the fireworks of the local festival sounded in the background. “I understand the fans’ anger. Now what we can’t do is let ourselves go,” claimed the coach in a speech that sounded like preaching in the desert. After 90 minutes, Madrid only had one shot on goal.
That only attempt was made by Vinicius, captain this Sunday and so often indomitable when it came to facing defenses that this time he went through the night with no more trace than a skirmish with the Barça players. Nobody opened their mouth with the ball, not even Bellingham, in a stadium that welcomed Madrid with the Catalan anthem and said goodbye with the Barça anthem. As soon as the end was reached, the whites congratulated the League champions one by one in peace and left in single file. When Barcelona received the trophy, the merengue players were already in the shower.
With everything over, the star who was not there almost made more news. He attended his companions’ brown night from his home. His only signals were electronically, with a publication on Instagram where an image of a television appeared broadcasting the match already with 2-0 and a “Hala Madrid”. The club assured that he did not finish Saturday’s training in perfect condition, hampered by the muscle injury in his left leg.
Arbeloa did not even confirm that he would play more this season. “I don’t know,” he responded when asked about it. “There are two weeks left. Depending on how the discomfort progresses, we will see if it can or not.” But would you have liked him to travel with the team? They insisted from the press bench. “What I would have liked was for him to be at 100% and play from the beginning,” said the coach, who did specify that in the three remaining games there will be opportunities for the less common players. For the French striker, this was the eleventh game he missed in 2026, many of them key events for the team: the return of playoff against Benfica, almost completed the Spanish Super Cup and almost completed the tie with City. This was not transcendental, but it was a bad drink.
And now, another Bernabéu trial
Ceballos was also not there for the third game in a row due to a technical decision, a very difficult measure to see these days when only those with physical problems are ruled out, and which contrasts with Arbeloa’s insistence on emphasizing, in the midst of the explanations about the fight between Valverde and Tchouameni, that the locker room was a place full of health and free of major problems. It doesn’t seem that way with the Sevillian. Yes, the French pivot was there. The Uruguayan is still out.
The culé festive evening threw the last shovelful of dirt on top of a Madrid that explains itself very well from classic to classic. . From Vinicius’ public challenge to Xabi Alonso to the subsequent white collapse. That afternoon of the obvious turning point in the season, Madrid came out five points ahead. Since then, Barcelona has won 22 of 24 games (only losing away to Real and Girona). Meanwhile, the whites have been bleeding against Celta, Osasuna, Getafe, Mallorca, Girona, Betis… The blaugranas have given up six points in this period and the whites, 25.
“We need to put the collective before the individual. We have to look to the future and see what we have done wrong. We have a great team from which we can get a lot of performance,” said Arbeloa, who does not seem like he will continue in office.
Sentenced by the classification and awaiting the decisions of the offices, now it is also the turn of the trial of the fans, who this Thursday will receive their team against Oviedo.
