Madrid beat Sevilla 4-1 as Leipzig and the Clásico come into view

Four goals against Sevilla, and one big debate

Madrid put four past Sevilla at the Bernabéu on Sunday night, winning 4-1 in the last league game before the Clásico. Arda Güler opened the scoring and Kylian Mbappé added one from the penalty spot. Thibaut Courtois made four saves, including an important one just before half-time, though he was clearly unhappy with Mbappé over the lost ball that led to Sevilla's goal.

There were plenty of positives. Fede Valverde started at right-back and was excellent at both ends, and José Mourinho called him one of the most versatile players in football. Dean Huijsen ran the game from the back with 105 touches, 19 progressive passes and 96.8% passing accuracy, the best on the pitch. Endrick, rewarded with a start after his strong showing against Roma, had three shots and completed 11 passes, putting his hand up for a place in the Clásico. Marc Cucurella was pleased with the control the team showed but warned that the side cannot switch off for a minute.

The talking point, though, was a first-half incident at 0-0 in which Güler caught Sevilla's Peque with his elbow. No red card was shown and VAR did not step in. The refereeing committee (CTA) said none of the stadium's cameras gave enough detail to provide conclusive evidence, so there was no basis to intervene. Sevilla coach Luis García Plaza was furious, saying his side had been denied the chance to play against ten men, and even linked the decision to the points gap before the Clásico. Mourinho said he had asked for the footage himself and none existed, and added that he did not understand the obsession with the incident.

Champions League: Leipzig at the Bernabéu

The squad was back at Valdebebas within hours of the win to start preparing for Wednesday's Champions League game against RB Leipzig at the Bernabéu, the third matchday of the league phase, kicking off at 9:00 pm CEST. UEFA has named Romanian referee István Kovács to take charge. Leipzig coach Martín Demichelis also spoke about Franco Mastantuono in his pre-match media session, describing him as a Madrid player.

Clásico on Sunday

After Leipzig comes the trip to Camp Nou on Sunday at 21:00. Barcelona go into the week six points ahead of us after their own win at Betis, so there is a lot riding on this one.

Onze d'Or for Mbappé

French magazine Onze Mondial has named Kylian Mbappé its best player of the 2025-26 season. In an interview around the award he showed a more personal side, admitting he has shown time and again that he can do silly things.

Record numbers off the pitch

The club announced a run of milestones:

• Most valuable football club in the world according to Forbes, for the fifth year in a row.
• Most valuable football brand for the third straight year, and strongest brand for the fifth year, according to Brand Finance.
• The 2025-26 season closed with the highest revenue and highest EBITDA in the club's history.
• Realmadrid.com is the most visited football club website in the world for the tenth consecutive year.

Basketball: records and a Llull milestone

Our basketball team made it six league wins in a row and broke the club record for three-pointers in an ACB game. Sergio Llull passed 7,000 points as a madridista in his 700th Liga Endesa game, and coach Pedro Martínez called it a team victory. Former coach Joan Plaza looked back on Llull's early days and said he was right to stay instead of moving to the NBA. Felizs also hit 8 three-pointers against Asvel.

Club legends were honoured too: Cristóbal Rodríguez and Alberto Herreros were inducted into the Spanish Basketball Hall of Fame, and Sergio Rodríguez received the Community of Madrid's Seven Stars of Sport award.

Also today

• The Liga U Clásico has been moved to Friday the 23rd at 5:00 pm at Ciudad Real Madrid.
• The war of words between LaLiga president Javier Tebas and the club over his comparison of RMTV with Nazi propaganda continues. According to reports, the sports tribunal (TAD) could even bar Tebas, though this is not confirmed.

Sources

• Managing Madrid: Referee named for Champions League match between Real Madrid and Red Bull Leipzig
• Real Madrid (official): Sergio Rodríguez receives the Seven Stars of Sport Award from the Community of Madrid
• Real Madrid (official): Madrid breaks its record for three-pointers in an ACB game
• Real Madrid (official): Llull surpasses 7000 points as a madridista in his 700th game in the Liga Endesa
• Real Madrid (official): Pedro Martínez It was a team victory
• Real Madrid (official): Sixth consecutive victory and three-point record in the League
• Real Madrid (official): Cristóbal Rodríguez in the Spanish Basketball Hall of Fame
• Real Madrid (official): Felizs 8 three-pointers against Asvel
• Real Madrid (official): The Liga U Clásico will now be played on Friday the 23rd at 500 pm at Ciudad Real Madrid
• Real Madrid (official): Alberto Herreros inducted into the Spanish Basketball Hall of Fame
• Real Madrid (official): Real Madrid prepares for the match against Leipzig
• Marca: Joan Plaza sobre Sergio Llull y la NBA: "Hizo bien en no hacerme caso"
• Marca: Caso Güler: "Como no hay evidencia, no se puede intervenir", dice el CTA
• Mundo Deportivo: El Real Madrid comienza a preparar el duelo de Champions ante el RB Leipzig
• Mundo Deportivo: El TAD podría inhabilitar a Tebas por sus comparaciones entre el nazismo y RMTV
• Real Madrid (official): Real Madrid is for the fifth consecutive year the most valuable football club in the world according to Forbes
• Real Madrid (official): Real Madrid is for the third consecutive year the most valuable football brand in the world and for the fifth year the strongest brand according to Brand Finance
• Real Madrid (official): REAL MADRID CLOSES THE 2025-2026 SEASON WITH THE HIGHEST REVENUE AND THE HIGHEST EBITDA IN ITS HISTORY
• Real Madrid (official): Realmadridcom the most visited football club website in the world for the tenth consecutive year
• Marca: Demichelis: "Les dije que era un error porque Mastantuono es un jugador del Madrid"
• Mundo Deportivo: Mbappé, elegido mejor jugador de la temporada 25/26 por Onze de Oro
• Marca: Mbappé: “He demostrado una y otra vez que puedo hacer tonterías"
• Mundo Deportivo: Endrick llama a las puertas del Clásico
• Mundo Deportivo: 26 cámaras en el Santiago Bernabéu y ni una imagen nítida de la agresión de Güler
• Managing Madrid: Cucurella: “We cannot relax for a minute”
• Mundo Deportivo: Ya hay árbitro para el Real Madrid-Leipzig: los precedentes
• Mundo Deportivo: "Es imposible que ganen al Barcelona"
• Managing Madrid: Player Ratings: Real Madrid 4–1 Sevilla
• Managing Madrid: TOP 10 PLAYERS: Real Madrid 4-1 Sevilla
• Managing Madrid: Jose Mourinho: “Valverde is one of the most versatile players in football”
• Mundo Deportivo: Mourinho: "He pedido las imágenes de lo de Güler y no las hay; no entiendo la obsesión"
• Mundo Deportivo: Luis García: “Quizá no le llaman del VAR para que no lleguen al Clásico a 9 puntos”
• Mundo Deportivo: Luis García Plaza: "Nos han privado de jugar once contra diez"