Attack against Mbappé escalates: a foolish billionaire with business dealings in Morocco

Real Madrid secured a hard-fought 3-2 win over Elche at the Martinez Valero, riding out heavy second-half pressure from the hosts. Away from the tension of those closing stages, three Real Madrid names came to prominence for reasons that had nothing to do with football.

The two teams walked out before kick-off for the official photograph, wearing shirts that carried a message of support for Ceuta against the backdrop of the wave of mass illegal entry the city witnessed last August. Mbappe, Vinicius and Konate were the only exception.

All three appeared with the shirt pulled up only to chest level, hiding the message written on it. It read "We are all from Ceuta", a nod to the popular term by which residents of the affected autonomous city are known.

The scene provoked reactions almost immediately. Among the fiercest critics was journalist Federico Jimenez Losantos. On his programme "Federico at Seven", the head of "esRadio" tore into the act, along with the way Real Madrid and other clubs had handled this type of initiative.

He added: "For Barcelona to do this is in keeping with that club's anti-Spain nature, for Atletico Madrid to do it hurts me, and likewise Valencia and Seville, but Real Madrid is the most important team and club in the world and in the history of football."

That prompted him to turn on the conduct of Mbappe, Vinicius and Konate, saying: "We Spaniards who watch with horror the ordeal our fellow citizens in Ceuta are going through will certainly not forgive this."

Speaking further, in remarks reported by esRadio, he said: "There are 80,000 Spaniards being oppressed and forced to remain inside their homes, and a progressive, foolish billionaire teenager like Mbappe will certainly not mock them. At least he will not do so if we are the ones who hold a platform or a stage or a microphone, because we will not allow it. We will not allow it."

He also aimed his criticism at the club's management for permitting such conduct, asking: "Are we at the mercy of these teenagers?"

To those who defend it as freedom of expression, Jimenez Losantos pointed out that the players also carry an obligation towards the club's values.