Kylian Mbappé, Real Madrid's striker, vented his frustration after his club lost to Benfica and failed to qualify automatically for the UEFA Champions League knockout stage.
On 29 Jan 2026 GMT+7, Kylian Mbappé, the French national team forward for "Los Blancos" Real Madrid, spoke frankly that inconsistency was the cause preventing his club from finishing in the top 8, forcing them to play in the UEFA Champions League playoff round for the 2025-26 season.
Real Madrid suffered a 2-4 defeat to José Mourinho's Benfica last night, finishing 9th in the group stage, which meant they could not advance automatically to the round of 16 and must play two additional playoff matches in February.
"The problem is we are inconsistent. We need to fix that. You cannot play well one day and poorly the next. Champions do not do that."
"We deserve to be in this situation. Benfica played better. Now we have to play two playoff matches. It's painful to have to play those games. We want to use February to improve our performance."
"I think it is a combination of many things. I can't say it's just an attitude problem, because if I said that, you would think we came here without commitment."
"If I said it was a football problem, you'd think the team played badly. No, I believe the issue is broader. In the Champions League, every detail matters if you want to beat your opponent."
"It shows that if you don't prepare everything to win in the Champions League, the opponent will come and, as they say, make you look foolish."
However, Mbappé called on Real Madrid fans to support the team at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium this Sunday in the La Liga match against Rayo Vallecano.
"Let's support the team. We haven't played well, but we're still in the Champions League. In La Liga, we're doing fairly well. If Bernabéu is behind us, we will win on Sunday."