Real Madrid Not ‘Kamikaze’ With Mbappe Health: Alonso

Jeddah: Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso said before the Spanish Super Cup final against Barcelona on Sunday that Kylian Mbappe can take a controlled risk with his fitness, but he will not be a “kamikaze”.

French superstar Mbappe missed Thursday’s semi-final win against Atletico Madrid but flew to Saudi Arabia to join the squad ahead of Friday’s Clasico in Jeddah.

Mbappe continues his treatment for the knee sprain he suffered at the end of December, which is expected to take three weeks to heal.

Asked whether Madrid’s top scorer, who has scored 29 goals in all competitions this season, could play with pain-killing injections, Alonso said Madrid would be careful.

“This is a decision we have to make between the staff, the players and the doctors,” Alonso said at a press conference. he said.

“We have to measure the risk, we have to know the moment we are in, what we are playing for, and then make the decisions we make. But we are not kamikaze when making decisions. This is a controlled risk.”

Alonso said Mbappe was feeling much better after missing last weekend’s La Liga win over Real Betis and the derby match against Atletico.

“He is in much better shape, he wasn’t quite ready to face Atletico and we decided not to hasten (his return),” the coach said.

“We were keeping in mind that if we got to the final, we could see him coming here depending on how he was feeling.

“When he practices today we will have all the information we need and we will see if he is ready to start or if he is ready to play less.”

Winning the Super Cup would be Alonso’s first success since joining Madrid last June and would take the pressure off his shoulders.

The Spaniard looked close to being a bust towards the end of 2025 following a poor run of form, but Madrid have won their last five games.

“Projects take time… We are developing football-wise, emotionally and in terms of the spirit of the team,” Alonso said.

“We feel like we have a bond with the players. Matches like these can have a big impact on the rest of the season.”

Mbappe ‘the best’

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said that Mbappe is the man of the moment, but he supports his team’s success despite coming to Saudi Arabia.

“Mbappe is the best striker at the moment… he has scored many, many goals and is a world-class player, I can say that,” admitted Flick.

However, the German coach emphasized that his team defeated Mbappe’s Madrid in all four matches they faced last season.

Barça defeated them 5-2 in the Spanish Super Cup final last season and won both the La Liga Clasicos and the Copa del Rey final.

In the only match with Alonso’s team this season, Madrid won the league 2-1.

“How many Clasicos have we played in the last year and a half? How many have we won? We’ve lost one,” Flick said.

“I know he’s a fantastic player and with the space behind the defence, it’s really great for him…

“We will adapt things as we always do, but it’s not about Mbappe specifically, it’s about Real Madrid, it’s about how we want to play and how we expect them to play.”