Barcelona President Joan Laporta Slams Kylian Mbappe Over Guard of Honour Snub

Joan Laporta has criticised Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe after he allegedly convinced his teammates not to give Barcelona a guard of honour. 

Laporta said Mbappe’s behaviour surprised him, suggesting Barca’s superiority in the Supercopa de Espana caused him to act that way.

Kylian Mbappe Demands Real Madrid Not to Give Guard of Honour to Barcelona

Barca beat Real Madrid 3-2 in the Supercopa de Espana final on Sunday night. Raphinha (brace) and Robert Lewandowski scored for Barca, while Vinicius Jr. and Gonzalo Garcia equalised twice for Madrid.

The victory allowed Barcelona to claim the biggest share of the 2026 Spanish Super Cup prize money and secure the first trophy of the season.

Kylian Mbappe, who missed the semi-final due to an injury, only played around 20 minutes of the game and failed to make an impact.

After Madrid players collected their runner-up medals, with Barca players giving them a guard of honour, Xabi Alonso told them to return the favour (via Forbes).

MAL PERDRE DE MBAPPÉ

El francès del Reial Madrid no ha volgut que els seus companys fessin el passadís al Barça

❌ Els altres jugadors l’han seguit i els blaugranes no han tingut passadís de campions#ElClàssic

https://t.co/xhB56dlluh pic.twitter.com/ezq5yRCuuN

— Esport3 (@esport3) January 11, 2026

However, Real Madrid ultimately decided against it, and according to Spanish journalist Alfredo Martinez, it was at Kylian Mbappe’s command.

Mbappe was also reportedly unhappy with Raul Asencio, who followed his coach’s request.

Laporta Slams Mbappe for Spanish Super Cup Gesture

On X (formerly Twitter), Barcelona fans have criticised Kylian Mbappe for his behaviour. Barca president Joan Laporta also found it disrespectful but offered an explanation.

Laporta told RAC1 (via SPORT):

“I’m surprised by what Mbappe did. In victory and in defeat, you have to be generous and respectful. This is a sport, and there should be normal behaviour. I think that in victory, we were generous and respected the opposing team. That’s why I can’t understand it.

“There had been a different edge since the league match, and the players were a bit wound up. That’s something you can understand.

.@javigiorgetti: “In the first Clásico of the season, which Real Madrid won, Courtois’ first reaction was to mock Lamine Yamal… Barça behaved professionally.”

“In this second Clásico, Madrid (led by Mbappé) refused to give the Guard of Honour as Barça won the Super Cup…… pic.twitter.com/ziDMPifCXP

— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) January 12, 2026

“The truth is, I didn’t see that moment involving Mbappé on the pitch, but I understand they must have been very tough moments. They must have been feeling really bad, and that reaction happened.”

Laporta concluded by adding:

“I think they already imagined that we had more chances to win this match, but they were able to confirm it on the pitch and, in the end, that’s tough because you see what the reality is.”

Barcelona indeed ended the game with a higher xG than their opponents. While Madrid generated an xG of 1.39 from 12 shots, Barcelona had 2.60 from 16 efforts.

Hansi Flick’s side also enjoyed 68% possession and completed 608 passes – 368 more than Los Merengues.