Kylian Mbappe Admits Real Madrid Have an Attitude Problem After ‘Disgraceful’ Defeat Against Benfica

Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe has urged his team to improve after their brutal 4-2 defeat against Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday night. 

Los Blancos’ defeat in the final league-phase outing dumped them out of the top eight in the Champions League table. They now have to overcome a two-legged play-off in February to book their place in the Round of 16.

Mbappe Scores Twice in Real Madrid’s Defeat Against Benfica

Kylian Mbappe equalled Cristiano Ronaldo’s Champions League record in last week’s emphatic 6-1 victory over AS Monaco. At Estadio da Luz, he breezed past his idol’s group-stage / league-phase record with another well-taken brace.

The Frenchman put Real Madrid in front against the run of play in the 30th minute. Raul Asencio sent a looping cross into the box, and Mbappe met it with a powerful header to find the net.

Los Blancos’ advantage, however, lasted for a brief period, with Andreas Schjelderup equalising in the 36th minute.

Benfica won a penalty just before the half-time break, which Vangelis Pavlidis put away, sending the hosts 2-1 up.

Just so everyone understands, Arbeloa is NOT A coach! The Real Madrid board at the moment do NOT care about this season. For them this is a business season. Meaning, they are using Arbeloa to get “certain” players to renew in the summer. That’s why he keeps saying it “his”…

— TwinVamos (@TwinVamos) January 29, 2026

In the 54th minute, things went from bad to worse for Los Blancos, as Schjelderup’s clinical effort from the left of the box beat Thibaut Courtois at the near post.

Mbappe pulled Real Madrid back into the contest in the 58th minute, applying an excellent first-time finish from just inside the box.

Madrid players lost their composure in injury time, with Asencio and Rodrygo getting sent off in a matter of minutes.

At the death, Anatoly Trubin scored against Real Madrid, becoming the first goalkeeper in history to score against the club in European competitions.

Mbappe Urges Real Madrid to Improve After Benfica Upset

Kylian Mbappe’s brace was not enough to secure a ticket to the Round of 16, and the Frenchman did not hide his disappointment.

After the game, the Frenchman claimed Los Blancos did not show enough desire to qualify, and admitted the attitude needed to improve.

“It’s not a question of quality, it’s not a question of tactics,” said Mbappe (via Diario AS).

“It’s a question of wanting more. They didn’t see that we were playing for our lives. They didn’t see what we were playing for.

“We deserve to be in this situation. Benfica were better; it hurts a bit to have these playoff games. We wanted to have that break.”

“It’s not about quality — it’s about wanting it more.”
That’s a locker-room grenade.#Mbappe #Madrid #UCL #realmadrid pic.twitter.com/XsssXYisj0

— MARCA in English (@MARCAinENGLISH) January 29, 2026

Mbappe was particularly critical of the last goal, dubbing it a disgrace.

“What we saw today is not normal. The fourth goal is a disgrace; in fact, the third one didn’t change anything either, just a little embarrassment for conceding them.

“We have to change this, because we came from three good matches.”

Lastly, when asked if Real Madrid had a football problem or an attitude problem, Mbappe bluntly replied:

“A bit of both… It’s more general, Benfica wasn’t playing well, and they showed you that if you don’t come with everything you need to win, they’ll give you a thrashing.”

Real Madrid’s failure could help Mbappe surpass Cristiano Ronaldo, but his post-match comments show he is more focused on the collective.

It will be interesting to see how Mbappe and Madrid respond to this upset when they return to LaLiga action against Rayo Vallecano on Sunday.