The 2025-2026 season for Real Madrid is literally on the verge of collapse. Poor results — including elimination from the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League and falling 11 points behind league leader Barcelona, making the title practically out of reach — are only the tip of the iceberg.
Fistfights and bloody incidents in the locker room, a petition with 33 million signatures calling for the ace's removal, and even the farce of a player's parent confronting the club president over playing time are taking place. It is a situation in which Real Madrid, which once claimed to be the world's best club, has completely lost control — literally a "mad" situation.
Valverde explained that "Chouameni did not hit me and it was an emotional outburst born of frustration," but the club ultimately initiated official disciplinary proceedings against both players. Veteran players who should have steadied the team ahead of the biggest match, El Clásico, instead shattered team morale.
Fans' anger stems from his attitude. While sidelined with a hamstring injury and with El Clásico looming, he took a private jet to Sardinia for a "romantic vacation" with actress Ester Expósito. In January he also left for Paris for treatment, but after photos of a trip with his girlfriend surfaced he only rejoined the team just before a match, a bizarre move.
On top of that, tactical issues such as a lack of pressing in defensive duties and failure to coexist with Vinícius Júnior compounded the problems. Fans strongly suspect Mbappé is protecting himself and focusing solely on preparing for the 2026 North and Central America World Cup rather than on Real Madrid.
Afterwards Rüdiger tried to smooth things over by arranging a meal and apologizing, but it was enough to show the seriousness of internal fractures.
Pride battles among star players have also reached their limit. It was exposed externally that after a recent match, amid a barrage of jeers from fans, Jude Bellingham and Mbappé entered the locker room and blamed each other, leading to an "intense clash."
As a result of failing to discipline and allowing the outspoken behavior of certain star players, the entire locker room has been stained with an attitude of selfishness — "if others can do worse things without punishment, why can't I?" It is the raw face of a "spoiled locker room" in which even the absolute authority of Florentino Pérez has crumbled.
The successor, coach Álvaro Arbeloa, has completely failed to seize control of the squad. He has continued emotional team management, excluding Spanish players such as Dani Ceballos and Álvaro Carreras from the roster amid ongoing conflicts with them.
From top to bottom there is no corner of Real Madrid that is intact; the 2025-2026 season is expected to go down as the worst dark chapter in the club's history.
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