Kylian Mbappe has described the racist abuse he received on the pitch at Real Oviedo on 24th August as “really distressing”.
“As long as things don’t change and the authorities don’t take the necessary measures, I think we influential players need to keep talking about it, because it’s not normal,” Real Madrid‘s number 10 told French television channel M6.
“It’s something we shouldn’t even be talking about because it’s 2025 and I thought that in 2025 we would be free of this kind of thing. But it still exists and we will always maintain the energy and strength necessary to combat this kind of behaviour.”
Such behaviour has also been repeatedly highlighted by his Real Madrid teammate Vinicius Jr, who has also been targeted by some fans of the Asturian club and has established himself as one of the leading figures in the fight against racism in La Liga for many years now.
“I know how important I am, but I always say that it’s everyone’s fight, because I alone can’t fight all that Black people have been suffering,” he recalled in an interview with CBFTV in November 2024.
Since arriving in Spain in the summer of 2018, Vinicius has regularly had to deal with increasingly brazen acts of racism. In May 2023, at Mestalla, ‘mono’ (monkey in Spanish) chants rang out from the stands of the Valencia stadium. Similar incidents were heard at the Metropolitano last March during the Madrid derby. Yet these are just two examples among many. Last May, five individuals, supporters of Real Valladolid, were given a one-year suspended prison sentence, a three-year stadium ban and a fine for making racist comments against Vinicius.
And Vinicius is not the only player to have been the victim of such insults. In October 2024, “three people were arrested for shouting racist insults at two footballers (Lamine Yamal and Raphinha) during El Clásico,” the Spanish police stated on X. Athletic Club players Inaki Williams and Maroan Sannadi have also faced similar situations in recent months.
