‘Pathetic’—Kylian Mbappe Slammed for Way He Stood by Real Madrid Teammate

Mbappé’s actions against Villarreal caused some interesting debate.

Kylian Mbappé scored twice for Real Madrid against Villarreal. | Victor Carretero/Real Madrid/Getty Images

Kylian Mbappé dedicated his Panenka penalty against Villarreal to his Real Madrid teammate Brahim Díaz after he spectacularly missed his spot kick in the Africa Cup of Nations final—but his actions have been branded “pathetic” by pundit Walid Acherchour.

With Real Madrid 1–0 up thanks to Mbappé’s close-range stab shortly after the half-time interval, the French talisman won the visitors a penalty in stoppage time. Mbappé picked himself up, brushed himself down and sent Luis Junior diving the drop way with a dainty dink right up the middle of his goal.

The 27-year-old wheeled away to the corner flag in celebration, arcing his cupped palm through the air to mimic the trajectory of his spot kick. Brahim, who had been brought off the bench for the final 10 minutes in his first competitive appearance since that fateful night in Rabat, was among the group of players who gathered around Mbappé.

“For you, for you,” the Frenchman could be seen shouting at his teammate. While striding through the mixed zone after the match, Mbappé confirmed that his effort had been “in tribute” for his tormented teammate.

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Brahim’s Week of ‘Heartache’

Oddly enough, Brahim Díaz (left) could not be consoled by FIFA President Gianni Infantino. | Abdel Majid BZIOUAT/AFP/Getty Images

Morocco was one kick away from winning its first AFCON in 50 years when referee Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo eventually pointed to the spot deep into stoppage time during last weekend’s final against Senegal. Unfortunately for Brahim, who won the penalty by vehemently flagging the tug from El Hadji Malick Diouf, he had to wait more than 15 minutes as Pape Thiaw led his Senegal players off the pitch in protest at the decision.

By the time Sadio Mané had convinced his compatriots to come back on, the delay had gotten the better of Brahim. Decelerating his run-up far too early, the tournament’s leading scorer limply scooped his attempted Panenka straight into the grateful gloves of Edouard Mendy.

It was such a pitiful effort that it inspired conspiracies claiming it had been a deliberate miss to balance out the officiating blunder—not that Mendy would have his moment taken away from him. Brahim certainly carried himself like a wounded man.

Senegal have won the 2025 African Cup of Nations.

One for the history books is an understatement! pic.twitter.com/j1ELGsmKdz

— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) January 18, 2026

After he tearfully accepted his top scorer award, the 26-year-old took to social media to apologize to the Moroccan people.

“My heart aches,” he wrote. “I dreamed of this title thanks to all the love you’ve given me, every message, every show of support that made me feel I wasn't alone. I fought with everything I had, with my heart above all else. Yesterday I failed, and I take full responsibility and apologize from the bottom of my heart.”

To make matters even more painful, Brahim’s first game back for Madrid just so happened to be against a Villarreal side which boasted Pape Gueye, Senegal’s match-winning goalscorer from the AFCON final. The midfielder’s continental glory was recognized by his home crowd ahead of kick off while Brahim sunk beneath the collar of his warm-up top on Madrid’s bench.

It’s unclear what Brahim made of Mbappé’s gesture, but some didn’t entirely follow the logic behind it.

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‘I Found It Pathetic’

Kylian Mbappé is Real Madrid’s rampant top goalscorer. | Burak Akbulut/Anadolu/Getty Images

Prominent pundit Acherchour did not hold back in his disdain for Mbappé. “I found it pathetic,” he seethed on Winamax FC. “It’s like if tomorrow I wanted to buy a Ferrari but didn’t have enough money, and the next day my so-called friend goes and buys one, then comes to me saying, ‘Look, this is how you buy a Ferrari...’

“Or it’s like I get dumped by my girlfriend, I couldn’t keep her, and the next day you call me, tell me you’re going out with her and say, ‘Look, this is how it’s done...’ Honestly, don’t have friends like that.”

Acherchour has taken issue with Mbappé on numerous occasions over the years, berating his Champions League performances for Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid. He pulled no punches in his teardown this weekend.

“Mbappé wants too much to be the main character in every movie,” the pundit concluded. “This isn’t your story, Kylian. Let people deal with their pain—I just can’t understand it. Do you really think Brahim Díaz is going to go home and say, ‘Kylian made me forget everything with his gesture, he showed everyone how to score a Panenka’?”

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