Real Madrid have defended Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr after the two superstars refused to fully display a message showing support for the Spanish territory of Ceuta before their match against Elche.
Players from both teams walked onto the pitch Tuesday wearing white T-shirts carrying the words “Todos somos caballas,” which translates to “We are all mackerels.”
“Caballas” is a nickname used for people from Ceuta.
But Mbappe and Vinicius appeared to deliberately cover the message by rolling up the shirts before eventually taking them off. Their teammate Ibrahima Konate also did not properly display the slogan.
Their actions quickly sparked controversy in Spain.
So, what exactly was the message about?
Ceuta is a Spanish territory on the northern coast of Africa which shares a border with Morocco. It has been at the centre of a major migrant crisis after more than 70,000 irregular crossings from Morocco in July.
The T-shirt campaign was intended to show solidarity with people living there following the crisis.
Real Madrid had agreed to Elche’s request to take part but said players were given the freedom to decide for themselves whether they wanted to display the message.
The club said it “respects the individual freedom and freedom of expression of each of its players.”
Mbappe, Vinicius and Konate have not publicly explained why they chose not to fully display the shirts.
2026-09-16 19:31:00
