French forward Kylian Mbappé has doubts about his team’s motivation after a damaging defeat sent Real Madrid into the play-offs.
Published January 29, 2026
Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappé said the team “deserved” their current situation as they lacked enough stability for a top-eight spot as they slipped into the Champions League play-off round.
The 15-time European champions finished ninth in the league after losing 4-2 to Jose Mourinho’s Benfica on Wednesday. This means they will have to face the Portuguese Conquistadors or Bodo/Glimt in February rather than advance directly to the last 16.
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Madrid, who had won three of their last three games under new manager Álvaro Arbeloa, were brought back to their knees by Benfica in Lisbon.
“The problem is that we are inconsistent in our play and we have to correct that. You can’t have one day (playing well) and another day not doing that. Champion teams don’t do that,” Mbappe told reporters.
“Of course we were in this situation today. Benfica were better. Now we have two more playoff games to play and it hurts to have to play them. We wanted to have time in February to work on our game.”
Mbappe said he could not pinpoint a clear reason why Madrid played so badly against Benfica.
“I think it’s all a little bit of everything. I can’t say it’s just a matter of attitude, because if I say that only, people will think we came here without any motivation,” said the French superstar, who scored twice in the defeat.
“If you say this is a football problem, you’ll think it’s the team’s fault. No, I think it’s a broader issue. In the Champions League, every detail matters if you want to beat the opposition.”
“This shows that if you don’t go in with everything you need to win a Champions League game, the opposition will come and, as they say, make fun of you.”
But Mbappe called on Madrid fans to support their team during Sunday’s La Liga match against Rayo Vallecano at the Santiago Bernabéu, rather than booing them as they did in early January.
“Please come and support the team. We have had some bad games, but we will not be eliminated from the Champions League. We are currently in a good place in La Liga,” Mbappe implored.
“If the Bernabéu is with us, we can win on Sunday.”
