Real Madrid suffered a heavy defeat in the 2025 Spanish Supercup final in Saudi Arabia this Sunday. Completely overwhelmed by the Catalans, who triumphed 5-2, Carlo Ancelotti’s team fell far short of expectations… except for one player who delivered a stellar performance.

Nine goals in two matches against Barça—that’s the record for Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid over the past three months. After suffering a humiliating loss at the Santiago Bernabéu on 26 October in La Liga, Los Blancos managed to concede five goals again this Sunday in the Spanish Supercup final. Weighed down by a defensively catastrophic Aurélien Tchouaméni, alongside Eduardo Camavinga and Lucas Vázquez, the Whites were powerless to prevent the defeat (5-2).

The standout player in the Superclásico for Madrid

While most Madrid fans are blaming Carlo Ancelotti for his controversial squad selections, one name stands out: Kylian Mbappé. Having joined the Spanish capital in July, the French striker, who endured a rocky start, delivered a very solid performance on Sunday. Showing increasing form in recent weeks, KM9 was by far the Real Madrid player who earned the respect of the fans. Beyond his early goal in the match, Mbappé did everything he could offensively to inspire his teammates.

Out of nine attempted dribbles, the former PSG player completed eight. Alongside the technical brilliance displayed against the Catalans, Mbappé was also the player who drew the red card for Barça’s Polish goalkeeper, leading to Rodrygo Goes’ stunning free-kick that reduced the deficit. As several Madrid fans remarked after the thrashing by the Blaugranas, Mbappé was left abandoned by his teammates, who quickly gave up in a match that had started promisingly. “The only good thing today was Kylian Mbappé,” Ancelotti even admitted after the humiliation.

It’s clear that after this drubbing, concrete conclusions must be drawn at Real Madrid, particularly to address defensive issues. Against top-tier teams this season, Carlo Ancelotti has been completely outclassed, raising serious concerns for the remainder of the campaign. Defensive adjustments are urgently needed, including the return of Raúl Asensio at the heart of the defence and a solution for Lucas Vázquez’s underperformance on the right flank.

Moreover, players like Vinícius Júnior need to refocus and deliver consistent performances on the pitch. For now, the coming days promise to be turbulent in Madrid, but at least Mbappé offers a glimmer of hope to console the disheartened fans after Sunday’s Spanish Supercup final defeat.