Transcript: Xabi Alonso Not Satisfied After Real Madrid's Copa Del Rey Win vs Talavera

Real Madrid booked their place in the Copa del Rey Round of 16, but struggled through the final moments of the game. Despite leading 2-0 and 3-1, the home team pulled them back twice to cause some scares late on.

Kylian Mbappe scored twice, taking him to 65 goals in the calendar year, with one game left to go in 2025.

Xabi Alonso was pleased with the team's progression to the next round, but was unsatisfied with the performance during some spells of the game. However, his focus will be on the next game against Sevilla in La Liga.

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— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) December 17, 2025

Xabi Alonso spoke to the media after the Copa del Rey victory against Talavera (per Real Madrid).

"The goal was to advance, and that’s why I’m leaving satisfied. We lacked a bit of consistency and needed to be more reliable in our performance during matches. We need to stop thinking that nothing can go wrong and close out games. We must be more mature."
Xabi Alonso

Q: On Mbappé:

Alonso: “He was decisive with the two goals because Kylian has that ease of scoring goals. The third one was key and that's why we kept him on the field and that's why he was a starter.”

Q: David Jiménez and Cestero's debuts

Alonso: “I know them well from Castilla . They're playing at a high level, like Valdés, Thiago, and Joan . David completed a very solid 90 minutes. He's comfortable on the ball and links up well with his teammates. Jorge is a very promising player we have at Castilla. He's improving this year and played some minutes today. We know he's close.”

Q: On Endrick:

Alonso: “He’s been very active, very lively, with a lot of changes of pace and acceleration in tight spaces. You can’t tell he’s been out of action. We have to congratulate him because he’s done well.”

Q: Areas for improvement:

Alonso: “We have one goal, which is Sevilla on Saturday. We need the three points, to find a positive feeling and finish strong. We'll take a break to continue improving what we need to improve, and among those things are consistency and maintaining that high level of performance for longer periods.”

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— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) December 17, 2025

Q: Does the team lack effectiveness, apart from Mbappé?

Alonso: “The numbers are the numbers, but Rodrygo has scored in the last two matches and we need more players to be that clinical. We could have scored more goals, without a doubt.”

Q: On Talavera:

Alonso: “I expected it to be like this. It’s a very special match for them and for the fans too. We found a great atmosphere and they played with competitiveness and pride. I congratulate them because they were a top-level opponent.”

Q: What were you looking for by bringing on four forwards?

Alonso: “We needed players who were also committed defensively. From the 10th minute onwards, we were solid in that regard and controlled the game well. They did what we wanted.”

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