Kylian Mbappe was sent off for a ‘disgusting’ high challenge on Sunday afternoon which saw him stamp on an opponent’s shin at high speed.
The Real Madrid star was given his marching orders for the reckless challenge in the first half of his side’s LaLiga trip to Deportivo Alaves.
And it comes just three days before Los Blancos try to overhaul a three-goal deficit in the Champions League quarter-finals against Arsenal at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Mbappe was initially given a yellow card but after reviewing the horror tackle on Antonio Blanco from multiple angles, the referee upgraded his penalty to an immediate dismissal.
LaLiga’s Competition Committee will decide the severity of the suspension, but a three-match ban would see him ruled out of the Copa del Rey final clash against Barcelona on April 26.
However, the ban will not translate into the Champions League, meaning Mbappe will be allowed to play against Arsenal.
Kylian Mbappe was sent off for this challenge on Deportivo Alaves’ Antonio Blanco on Sunday
He was given a red card after a review, but he will not miss Arsenal in the Champions League
His ban comes at a critical time, with Madrid still trailing Barcelona in the hunt for the Spanish league title.
‘Disgusting ‘tackle’ by Mbappe… vicious intent and could have broken the guy’s leg. Red card should be the very least of his punishment,’ wrote Piers Morgan on X.
‘Proper grim challenge,’ said another user.
‘I know he can’t be banned from the UCL game, but with a tackle like that… he honestly should be banned for the next 10 football games,’ one said. ‘We need to cut tackles like that out, and he almost ended a career right there.’
Another commented: ‘Red card, no-brainer: aggressive play without intent to get the ball.’
‘He should be arrested for that,’ one said.
Some felt it was a sign of Mbappe’s frustration after a humiliating week which saw Madrid trumped in their favourite competition – and the Frenchman pocketed by William Saliba.
But Mbappe, 26, who is still searching for his first Champions League crown, was defiant after Declan Rice and Co stunned Madrid at the Emirates.
‘We have to believe until the end,’ he wrote on Instagram after the 3-0 defeat.
He also told reporters: ‘Of course we can come back.’
Madrid, are, of course, highly adept at European comebacks, with many adorning their history books down the years.
Manchester City learned the hard way in 2022 when, despite being two goals up on aggregate going into the 90th minute of the second leg, Rodrygo scored twice to sent City out on away goals.
