Kylian Mbappé said Real Madrid’s 2-1 defeat to Atlético Madrid was a “step backwards” but refused to target the officials, urging the team to focus on improving performance as the season unfolds.
Real Madrid suffered a 2-1 setback in the Madrid derby against Atlético Madrid, a match that sparked debate over several contentious refereeing decisions. The loss, which came in the opening weeks of the LaLiga campaign, left fans and pundits dissecting the officiating as much as the on‑field play.
Speaking to AS after the final whistle, French forward Kylian Mbappé described the result as “very tough” and admitted it represented “a step backwards” for the club (beinsports.com). He acknowledged the frustration surrounding the referee’s calls but deliberately avoided turning the official into the focal point of his comments.
“I think certain things, but I’ll keep them to myself. I’ve never been that kind of player and I’m not going to start now. The referee is human and makes mistakes, and there were mistakes, but I don’t want to get into that,” Mbappé said, emphasizing his habit of staying away from public criticism of match officials (africasoccer.com).
Instead, the forward urged his teammates to respond on the pitch. “We wanted to win, and we knew what kind of match awaited us. But the team gave everything, and we have to keep moving forward because there is still a lot of the season left,” he added, calling for greater effort and focus to restore Real Madrid’s momentum (sports.yahoo.com).
Mbappé’s measured response reflects a broader strategy to keep the conversation on performance rather than controversy, a stance that may help the Spanish giants regroup as they aim to reclaim titles later in the campaign.