Barcelona 1–2 Real Madrid, and the Camp Nou went quiet
Five wins in a row. Ten games, 24 points, third place, a +15 goal difference. The Clásico went to you: Barcelona 1–2 Real Madrid in La Liga round 10 (6). It was not a footballing masterclass, one Spanish report put it plainly, an entertaining game either team could have won and the coin landed on the visitors (4).
José Mourinho was not in the mood to be generous afterwards. He said referee Iglesias Villanueva was asleep in the VAR booth, because nothing was done about Cancelo's stamp on Diomandé that could have been a red card (4).
Real Madrid TV could not resist the Ballon d'Or dig
Kylian Mbappé did not win the 2026 Ballon d'Or. Real Madrid's own channel used the ceremony to point at the Clásico scoreline instead, and took a swipe at Barcelona while it was at it (6).
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Mbappé lost Chinese sponsors over a Mao joke
At least three Chinese brands have cut ties with Mbappé after a clip went viral, apparently joking about Mao Zedong on Aurélien Tchouaméni's podcast (2) (3). One of the sponsors was blunt: "Nous nous opposons fermement à tout comportement qui heurte le sentiment national et nous faisons preuve d'une tolérance zéro à cet égard. Nous mettons fin, avec effet immédiat, à toute collaboration avec Kylian Mbappé" (2).
Mbappé apologised on Tuesday (7).
The fallout reached the league and the embassy
Chinese state television has suspended La Liga broadcasts (7). LaLiga president Javier Tebas has met China's ambassador to Spain to try to calm it down. His line: "Não podemos permitir que um ato isolado manche essa relação ou prejudique os mais de vinte clubes de nossas ligas profissionais e os milhões de torcedores chineses" (8) (3).
This is no longer just a Madrid problem. Twenty clubs are in it.
Calafiori would cost over €100m
Madrid have sounded out Riccardo Calafiori. Arsenal do not want to sell cheap, and the asking price is above €100m (1). They have made the left-sided defender indispensable.
Stuttgart want €60m for Jeltsch
Finn Jeltsch is on the list too. Stuttgart's centre-back has Madrid and Barcelona both watching, and the €60m price tag makes a January move awkward (9) (10).
Carvajal on Arbeloa and the elections
Dani Carvajal has spoken about leaving Madrid and about Arbeloa, with club elections in the background. On the coldness: "¿La frialdad de Arbeloa? Esa pregunta tiene que ir a Álvaro sobre el porqué de sus declaraciones" (5).
Racing Santander away on Sunday
Next up is La Liga at Racing Santander on Sunday, November 1, 16:15 CET. Then AEK Athens away in the Champions League on Wednesday, November 4, and Valencia away on Saturday, November 7.
Fan reactions
The subreddit is split between tactics and comedy. One thread is a heat map of Diomandé's movement in the Clásico, with fans pointing out how much ground he and Güler covered. Another is a joke about Mourinho's "tactical vision" extending beyond the pitch. Most of the Clásico talk is about the shape, not the scoreline (r/realmadrid).
