Much of the slim hope that Real Madrid has of completing a historic comeback in the Champions League against Arsenal is pinned on Kylian Mbappé, who nearly single-handedly mounted a comeback against Argentina in the final of the 2022 World Cup held in Qatar. He was signed as the superstar who steps up in these moments, and for that reason, Real Madrid held an emergency meeting with him after the incident last weekend against Alavés.

Florentino and Ancelotti stand by Mbappé

Undoubtedly, Kylian Mbappé’s red card in the first half against Alavés was the clearest example of the frustration and helplessness Real Madrid has been experiencing in recent weeks. However, as a player expected to be mature enough to control such impulses, his ejection may have jeopardized Real Madrid’s hopes of winning the LaLiga title... pending the disciplinary ruling and whether it affects the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona.

Mbappé is fully aware of the seriousness of the situation—not just because it hurts Real Madrid, but because he may have endangered a fellow professional's career. That’s why the first thing he did was apologize to his teammates and then to Antonio Blanco. Still, within Real Madrid, there's concern that this incident could affect Mbappé mentally at the most crucial point of the season. According to MARCA, both Florentino Pérez and Carlo Ancelotti have held an emergency meeting to reassure him.

Real Madrid needs another big Champions night from Mbappé

The truth is, this red card comes at a time when Mbappé has struggled to maintain the brilliant form he showed in the early months of 2025. In fact, since matching Cristiano Ronaldo’s 33 goals in his debut season with Real Madrid, thanks to his brace in the win over Leganés, Mbappé hasn’t scored and has gone four matches without a goal.

It's not that he's played poorly in recent games against Real Sociedad (4–4), Valencia (1–2), Arsenal (3–0), and Alavés (0–1). In fact, he's been Real Madrid’s most active attacker. However, the team needs his goals back if they’re to believe in a comeback against Arsenal—the same kind of goals he scored against Manchester City during his first big Champions League night at the Santiago Bernabéu.