«We have to show on the field that we take care of this shield and that we want to make history at Real Madrid,” he said. Mbappé just equalize the 59 goals from Cristiano in a calendar year. The Frenchman was happy to reach the record set by his childhood idol, who is now also a friend, but he was also aware that the team is not at the level it needs to fight for titles.
Three victories, but…
It is true that Madrid says goodbye to 2025 with three consecutive victories (Alavés, Talavera and Seville), although these triumphs have not cleared up the doubts about where the project is going. Xabi Alonso. In fact, the last minutes at El Prado and the impossibility of dominating the match against Sevilla even after Marcao was sent off, what they did was put the Bernabéu to the limit of their endurance. The stands whistled at Vinicius when he was changed, he didn’t like it either Huijsen and whistled to the team in general sending a message: «Many things have to change after the holidays. In the same sense, you could see the face of Florentino Pérez, very serious in the box, checking his mobile phone and shaking his head.
Xabi asks for context
Xabi Alonso continues to lead and asks to contextualize the current moment of his team. The Basque recalled the multiple absences due to injury and suspension and how some footballers, Asencio y Camavingaamong others, played without being fit. Xabi wants this to be taken into account, although he does not hide that the level of play is very far from what he wants and what Madrid demands.
«We are going to have some time to analyze and reflect on where we are. Today was a game that had to be won, we arrived in a complicated situation, with casualties, and we had to get the three points. We want to do better, we have self-criticism. We have managed to win and we have to try to start the year better,” he repeated before the battery of questions about the little football that the team shows. «I am not satisfied with today’s level because I know that when we recover energy and players we will be able to distribute the minutes more to be able to improve. Many conditions are coming together for us, we have nine casualties and players who play practically everything,” he insisted to end with a Christmas greeting and a message: «Happy holidays everyone, okay? “Calm down,” He said with an ironic smile, responding to the pressure he was subjected to after another game in which doubts grew.
A project with doubts
Not even against ten could Madrid be dominant and prevent Sevilla from reaching the area in danger and putting Courtois to work. Xabi’s project has suffered a reversal since those matches of the Club World Cup in which there were intentions to press high, play very together and grow from the ball. After the summer, the season began with thirteen victories in fourteen games, but after the Classic it has been withering.
Three certainties
Xabi recognizes that he is not the same as when he arrived and the truth is that right now it is difficult to know what he wants to play. There is no longer high pressure, nor that intention to play together. The midfield does not find the gray matter or a footballer to organize its ideas. Certainties are the stops Courtois and the goals of Mbappé, along with a hopeful resurrection of Rodrygo after 32 games without scoring.
Recover Vinicius
On the side of doubt is Vinicius, who has not scored since October 4 and does not overwhelm. Against Sevilla he was whistled and changed his photo dressed in white on his Instagram profile for one from Brazil. One of Xabi’s tasks for 2026 is recover the Brazilian, add more people to the scoring cause and convince their players, the club and the fans that their project is alive. From the offices it slipped away days ago that the technician was guaranteed until the Super Cup, the great test to know what the Basque is made of. That semi-final on January 8 against Atlético and a possible final against Barça will mark the future of this Real Madrid, which is going to eat the nougat with as many pending issues as there is room for improvement.
