Frenkie de Jong defends Lamine Yamal after heated Real Madrid vs Barcelona clash at the Santiago Bernabeu
When a Clasico promises drama, it always delivers — and this one delivered in style, fire, and a whole lot of post-match chaos.
Real Madrid’s 2–1 win over Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu should have been the story of the night — a comeback statement featuring Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham on the scoresheet. But instead, the spotlight shifted to what happened after the final whistle.
As soon as the referee blew for full-time, tempers exploded. Dani Carvajal, Vinicius Junior, and Eduardo Camavinga surrounded young Lamine Yamal, shouting and gesturing. Carvajal even made a mocking gesture, reportedly telling the teenager to “talk now” — a callback to Yamal’s pre-match taunts on social media.
The scene turned wild. Players, staff, and security all got involved. Pedri was seen yelling from the tunnel, and Vinicius exchanged words with Barcelona’s bench.
But where did all this start?
Days before the match, Yamal, 18, made a few “playful” comments on a Kings League stream — saying Madrid “complain too much about referees” and joking that “Barca wins because we don’t cry.” The internet loved it, but the Madrid dressing room? Not so much.
Carvajal fired back before kickoff: “Respect matters on the pitch; words don’t win Clásicos.” So when Madrid clinched the win, he made sure to remind Yamal who had the last word.
Frenkie de Jong, however, wasn’t having it. The Dutch midfielder slammed the treatment of Yamal, calling it “over the top.”
“If Carvajal wanted to talk to him, he could’ve done it privately,” De Jong said post-match. “Making gestures on the pitch just fuels the fire. Lamine never said Madrid cheats — that’s been overblown.”
Barcelona’s assistant coach Marcus Sorg also stepped in, defending the teen. “He’s young. He’ll learn. But it’s hard to play when you’re booed with every touch,” he said.
Even Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni weighed in, saying, “It gave us a boost — no bad blood, just motivation.”
Still, the drama didn’t end there.
After the game, Raphinha — who missed the match through injury — had a calm exchange with Vinicius Junior. The two Brazilians shared different views.
Vinicius told him: “What he did before the match isn’t done. It’s not what a good teammate should do.”
Raphinha responded with more understanding, saying on DAZN: “He was guilty of being young. His words motivated Madrid, but he’ll learn.”
At the end of the day, Yamal’s bravado may have fueled Madrid’s fire — but the reaction from Los Blancos’ veterans might’ve crossed a line.
Whether you’re Team Barca or Team Madrid, one thing’s for sure — El Clásico never misses the headlines.
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