Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Barcelona: Repeated History Dooms Alonso in Super Cup Final

Los Blancos have now lost five of the last six Clásicos.

Vinicius Junior broke his 16-game goal drought in Sunday’s contest. / Fadel Senna/AFP/Getty Images

Just like in last season’s Spanish Super Cup final, Real Madrid could not get over the line against bitter rivals Barcelona, falling 3–2 at Alinma Bank Stadium on Sunday evening.

After already defeating the Catalans back in October, Los Blancos came into the Clásico full of confidence, even with Kylian Mbappé starting the game on the bench. Yet Hansi Flick’s men struck first, taking the lead through Raphinha just past the half-hour mark.

A flurry of goals in first-half stoppage time turned the game into a frenzied affair. Vinicius Junior, Robert Lewandowski and Gonzalo García all found the back of the net within the span of four minutes. Raphinha, though, broke the deadlock in the second half to secure back-to-back Spanish Super Cup titles for Barcelona.

Xabi Alonso will have to answer plenty of questions for Real Madrid’s defeat, including his decision to replace Vinicius Jr, his most dangerous player, in the 82nd minute when his team needed a goal.

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Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Barcelona (4-4-2)

Gonzalo García was involved in both of Real Madrid’s goals. / Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto/Getty Images

*Ratings Provided by FotMob*

GK: Thibaut Courtois—6.1: Hardly at fault for any of Barcelona’s three goals and once again was made to pay for his team’s horrific defending. Made a brilliant save to keep Yamal off the scoresheet.

RB: Raúl Asencio—5.8: Failed his primary assignment—locking down Raphinha. Always faced an uphill battle, though, playing out of position.

CB: Aurélien Tchouaméni—5.6: Done no favors by his manager’s surprise tactical decision. Completely out of his depth at the back going against the likes of Raphinha and Lewandowski.

CB: Dean Huijsen—5.0: Poor in his 2026 debut. Made mistakes both on and off the ball, caught out on Barcelona’s second goal and played with zero edge.

LB: Álvaro Carreras—6.0: Not a standout performance by any means, but still did enough to thwart Yamal, who ended the night having lost the most duels in the match.

RM: Federico Valverde—6.6: A rather anonymous outing. Completed just nine passes before he asked to be subbed off due to injury.

CM: Jude Bellingham—6.4: Uncharacteristically sloppy in possession and committed poor challenges. Failed to get any grasp on the game.

CM: Eduardo Camavinga—6.6: Struggled without the security of Tchouaméni next to him. At times it felt like Camavinga was going up against Pedri, De Jong and Fermín all by himself.

LM: Rodrygo—6.1: Made the poor pass that led to Barcelona’s opening goal. Much better in the second half, especially inside his own half, where he helped Carreras to silence Yamal.

LW: Vinicius Junior—7.9: Played with a point to prove. Broke his 16-game goal drought with one of the best goals of his career. Jules Koundé stood no chance going against the Brazilian.

ST: Gonzalo García—7.9: Couldn’t ask for more from the 21-year-old. Tallied a goal and an assist in his first ever start in a final.

Substitute	Rating (Out of 10)
Arda Güler (68’ for Valverde)	6.0
Kylian Mbappé (76’ for Gonzalo)	6.7
David Alaba (76’ for Huijsen)	6.0
Franco Mastantuono (82’ for Vinicius Jr)	N/A
Dani Ceballos (82’ for Camavinga)	N/A

Subs not used: Andriy Lunin (GK), Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rüdiger, David Jiménez, Fran García, Thiago Pitarch.

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Barcelona (4-2-3-1)

Starting XI: Joan García; Jules Koundé, Pau Cubarsí, Eric García, Alejandro Balde; Frenkie De Jong, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Fermín López, Raphinha; Robert Lewandowski.

Subs used: Dani Olmo, Ferran Torres, Gerard Martín, Marcus Rashford, Ronald Araújo.

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Player of the Match: Raphinha (Barcelona)

Real Madrid Players of the Match: Vinicius Junior, Gonzalo García

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Barcelona 3–2 Real Madrid—How It Unfolded at Alinma Bank Stadium

Real Madrid were without Kylian Mbappé at the start of the game. / Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Tensions were high from the opening whistle of the 263rd Clásico, unfolding in front of a sold-out crowd in Jeddah. Both Real Madrid and Barcelona enjoyed early spells of possession in the early stages, feeling one another out in a rather tentative, yet charged, start.

The highlight moment of the first 15 minutes came on the counter attack for Real Madrid. Vinicius Jr exploded down the left flank, beating Jules Koundé for pace, and was through on goal in the blink of an eye. The Brazil international failed to generate any power on his low strike, though, and in the end, it was an easy save for Joan García.

The Catalans soon took full control of the game, forcing error after error from Alonso’s men. A poor pass from Fede Valverde in the midfield opened the door for a golden chance that Raphinha squandered. Less than 60 seconds later, Rodrygo gifted the ball to Fermín López, who gave his Brazilian teammate a second chance to put their side up 1–0.

Raphinha misses a big chance and then, seconds later, scores from the same position.

Elite mentality. pic.twitter.com/0qHzwTh3Y8

— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) January 11, 2026

Raphinha made up for his miss with a left-footed strike to beat both his marker in Aurélien Tchouaméni and Courtois at his far post. Barcelona came knocking for a second, but could not find the quality to double their lead. Instead, Vinicius Jr stole the show.

The No. 7 received the ball from Gonzalo in transition and made a mockery of Koundé with a cheeky nutmeg at the edge of the box. Vinicius Jr then continued his run, dancing through three Barcelona players, before finishing off a brilliant individual goal to make it 1–1 in the 47th minute.

Vini's back. pic.twitter.com/X4EmxEs8e5

— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) January 11, 2026

Celebrations were short-lived for Real Madrid. A well-timed through ball from Pedri completely caught Tchouaméni and Dean Huijsen lacking, giving Lewandowski all the time and space in the world to dink a right-footed effort into the back of the net.

As if two goals in first-half stoppage time weren’t enough, Los Blancos added a third to the scoresheet. Rodrygo delivered an outswinging corner kick that Huijsen nearly headed home, but a defensive header from Raphinha played spoiler. Except the clearance fell right to Gonzalo, whose off-balance shot rattled off the crossbar and then the post before crossing the goal line to make it a 2–2 game.

Real Madrid were the better team following the restart, creating chance after chance through an on-fire Vinicius Jr. The Brazilian looked poised to bag the go-ahead goal on more than one occasion, but the woodwork and Joan García denied the winger.

The 15-time European champions would go on to rue the missed chances. Raphinha was at the heart of the action again for Barcelona, this time with a powerful strike that deflected off Raúl Asencio and into the back of the net. The superstar forward won’t care about the lucky finish, though, just that it gave his side the lead with 17 minutes left to play.

Raphinha braces lead Barcelona to back-to-back Super Cups for the first time in 15 years. pic.twitter.com/NtUkwKxQ85

— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) January 11, 2026

There was not another goal in the game, even when the Catalans went down to 10 men following a red card to Frenkie de Jong for a brutal tackle on Mbappé. A glorious chance fell the way of Álvaro Carreras in the 96th minute, but he only mustered a weak effort right at García.

Real Madrid ultimately swallowed the bitter taste of defeat for the fifth time in the last six Clásicos as Barcelona celebrated their record 16th Spanish Super Cup triumph.

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Barcelona vs. Real Madrid Halftime Stats

Statistic	Barcelona	Real Madrid
Possession	76%	24%
Expected Goals (xG)	1.53	0.73
Total Shots	9	5
Shots on Target	5	5
Big Chances	2	4
Pass Accuracy	94%	84%
Fouls	4	6
Corners	4	3

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Barcelona vs. Real Madrid Full Time Statistics

Statistic	Barcelona	Real Madrid
Possession	68%	32%
Expected Goals (xG)	2.60	1.39
Total Shots	16	12
Shots on Target	7	10
Big Chances	4	7
Pass Accuracy	92%	79%
Fouls	18	12
Corners	5	6

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