The Santiago Bernabéu has never been a place for the faint of heart, and Thursday night proved it once again. Real Madrid fans, frustrated by a season that has fallen well short of expectations, made their feelings known during a 2-0 win over already-relegated Oviedo. The victory was overshadowed by a chorus of jeers directed at some of the team's biggest stars.
Kylian Mbappé, returning from an injury layoff as a second-half substitute, was met with boos from a section of the crowd. Vinícius Júnior had received similar treatment earlier in the match. "I've been booed before in my career," Mbappé said afterward. "It's part of it. Sometimes they are not happy."
The tension wasn't limited to the pitch. A couple of banners aimed at club president Florentino Pérez were briefly displayed before being removed by security. Pérez, who saluted some fans, reportedly got into a verbal exchange with supporters near the VIP area, according to Spanish media.
This match capped a chaotic week for the club. It began with an altercation between players in training, leading to fines of €500,000 each for Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni. Then came a painful loss to Barcelona in El Clásico on Sunday, which allowed their archrivals to clinch the league title. On Tuesday, Pérez called for new elections, claiming he was the victim of an "organized campaign" to oust him.
Madrid has now gone two straight seasons without a major trophy. They were eliminated by Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals, knocked out of the Copa del Rey by second-division Albacete, and lost the Spanish Super Cup final to Barcelona. For a club accustomed to winning, the silence in the trophy cabinet is deafening.
On the field, there were bright spots. Gonzalo García opened the scoring in the 43rd minute, and Jude Bellingham sealed the win in the 79th after a neat assist from Mbappé, who had replaced García ten minutes earlier. But the result felt secondary to the simmering discontent in the stands.
Elsewhere in La Liga, Girona moved out of the relegation zone with a 1-1 draw against Real Sociedad, thanks to a second-half equalizer from Cristhian Stuani. Conference League finalist Rayo Vallecano also drew 1-1 with Valencia. Meanwhile, Barcelona's quest to reach 100 points remains alive, but for Madrid, the focus is now firmly on rebuilding—both on the pitch and in the boardroom.