At 00:26 in the morning from Friday to Saturday, after flying on a private plane in which Florentino Pérez was finally not present, which landed in Jeddah yesterday mid-afternoon, Mbappé entered through the door of the strategically located Hilton Jeddah … on the Corniche, the spectacular promenade that borders the Red Sea: “Salam Alaikoum, Saudi Arabia,” the Frenchman wrote on his X account to announce his arrival in the country.
The Frenchman is the great hope for the Super Cup final, which tonight in Jeddah (8:00 p.m., Movistar+) decides the first title of the season. It will be the fourth consecutive classic on Saudi lands, the second at the Alinma Stadium, where just twelve months ago the white team won 5-2 that left Ancelotti very touched in the eyes of the club. Xabi is warned, although the Tolosarra downplays, with a small mouth, what happens today: “It’s only one game, but it’s true that what happens can have an impact for the rest of the season.”
A season in which Madrid walks the wire. 78 days have passed since the League classic (2-1) at the Bernabéu, one of the white team’s best games this season, which closed the wound of the four classics from last season, but opened another major one that has conditioned these last three months. Since then, Madrid has gone down and Barça just the opposite. Flick’s problems and anger crossed the airlift and settled in the capital, to the point of seeing Xabi on the verge of dismissal. But not only that: from Madrid’s +5 after that 2-1 at the Bernabéu against Barça, to -4 today: “To the Real Madrid fans who don’t believe, I would say to look back a little, to remember games and titles that didn’t give a dime for us and we have done wonders.”
But it’s not just a question of numbers. Also soccer. This Barça is not the one from last season, but even so it is still a better team than Madrid. It is evidence that no one can deny and that has an influence on the final. At least, a priori, where confidence and feelings are very different: «Madrid is a very high-level club, but we have to think about ourselves. “I have a very good feeling,” Flick said yesterday.
The German complimented Mbappé, describing him as the best striker of the moment. Carrot, but also stick, remembering the positive record of his duels against Madrid, in all of them with Kylian: «Do you know how many classics we have played in the last year and a half? And do you know how many we have won?”, he ironically asked a Saudi journalist. “We have only lost one out of five,” he added, smiling.
The Frenchman trained with the group yesterday, hours after Xabi said that they would not “do the kamikaze” with him and that a “controlled risk” would be assumed. The Frenchman is not in favor of infiltrating, and even less so in a World Cup year, and the knee is not usually a suitable area to do so, but there was no resounding no to any scenario around the Frenchman. Just in case, Xabi remembered Vinicius: «Historically, he has been decisive in finals, and tomorrow one is played. And, also, against Barça. We need him no matter what.”
Lamine, who was a substitute against Athletic due to stomach discomfort, will surely play. He will take Roony’s place, and the rest will be the same ones who crushed Valverde’s team on Wednesday: “They won the last classic and it hurt us how,” commented Eric García, who will partner Cubarsí.
A classic that already began to be played last night with the official dinner. As happened last season, Florentino again avoided the sarao and the photo with Laporta and Louzán. José Ángel, Butragueño and Pirri came in his place. Today it will be impossible for both presidents not to meet, but the cards are marked. In the offices, and we’ll see if in the field.
