INJURY CRISIS: L’EQUIPE CONFIRMS MBAPPE FAILED FITNESS TESTS AHEAD OF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DECIDER.
Discover why Kylian Mbappe is officially out of the Real Madrid vs Benfica clash and Arbeloa's tactical response.
Kylian Mbappe looks set to miss the second leg of Real Madrid’s Champions League play-off with Benfica after picking up a knee injury in training. Madrid hosts Benfica at the Bernabeu on Wednesday night, holding a 1-0 lead from the first leg in Lisbon.
Mbappe left training early on Tuesday because of pain in his left knee. L’Equipe reports that he had tests that afternoon, and the results were pretty clear: there’s no way he’ll play against Benfica.
That’s a big shift from what Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa said just hours before. In his press conference, Arbeloa insisted Mbappe was ready and had been pushing through the pain for weeks.
“Kylian is ready to play tomorrow, and really, that’s what matters most right now. He’s been here for weeks, and everyone can see the commitment he’s showing to his teammates, to the team, to me, to the club, and to the fans. I want to point out just how hard Kylian is working. He’s trying to help us out there.
“He changes the game. Any defender facing him knows he can decide things in a second. He’s ready for tomorrow; we’ll need him, and he’ll have a great game.”
Meanwhile, Benfica comes to Madrid under a cloud. The first leg was marred by Vinicius Junior’s claim that Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni racially abused him after Vinicius scored the only goal. Prestianni has been handed a provisional one-match Champions League ban, though he denies the accusation. He says he actually directed a homophobic slur at Vinicius after being called a “dwarf” by the Brazilian. That defence probably won’t hold, and he could end up with a longer ban.
Arbeloa and Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois both spoke about the incident on Tuesday. Arbeloa said, “We have a chance to make a real difference in the fight against racism. UEFA always says it’s fighting racism, but this is a moment to go beyond slogans or banners. I hope they take it.
“For us, the focus is on playing at a high level and doing the job on the pitch so we can win. That’s where our energy is going. The rest, honestly, isn’t our responsibility. That’s for UEFA to decide.”
Courtois added, “A lot of things haven’t been handled well. Racism and homophobia – none of that is acceptable, and the insult is just as serious. Vini didn’t do anything wrong. He celebrated the way plenty of opponents have celebrated against us. In the end, we have to move forward. You can’t excuse an act of racism because of a celebration.”
ARSENAL POCKET INSANE £125.18M FOLLOWING CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL QUALIFICATION
Mikel Arteta's side has added £15.97m to their cash reserves, eclipsing the total earned by current champions PSG last year.
Arsenal have added another £15.97 million to their UEFA prize money haul after securing a spot in the Champions League final with a win against Atletico Madrid. They are set to face either Bayern Munich or the current champions, Paris Saint-Germain, in Budapest on May 30, aiming for their first-ever triumph in this prestigious competition.
Beyond that, there’s an additional £5.61 million up for grabs in Hungary later this month. But up to now, Arsenal have amassed an eye-watering £125.18 million in Champions League prize money this season alone. A place in next season’s European Super Cup also carries a potential reward of around £3.45 million. It’s been a remarkable European run under Mikel Arteta, with the team dominating the group stage by winning all eight matches.
From the very beginning, the club benefited from the initial distribution of TV revenue and the rankings pool, which together amounted to £49.6 million. Even before the knockout rounds kicked off, Arsenal had already secured £85.3 million in prize money.
That total doesn’t even cover the bonuses linked to their on-field success, as each of their eight victories in the group stage brought in roughly £15.8 million altogether.
By finishing first out of 36 group-phase clubs, Arsenal earned an extra £8.6 million, and progressing straight to the round of 16 as one of the top eight teams secured them another £11.3 million.
They continued their strong run by eliminating Bayer Leverkusen after a 1-1 draw away and a 2-0 win at the Emirates, which added £10.8 million more to their earnings.
Overcoming Sporting CP in the quarter-finals also brought a £10.8 million bonus. While Arsenal’s motivation isn’t just financial, this level of income certainly aids in meeting profit and sustainability rules and other financial fair play criteria.
It’s also likely to support their summer transfer budget, as sporting director Andrea Berta looks to build on Arteta’s squad.
Last season, Arsenal took home £98.63 million after reaching the semi-finals before falling to PSG.
PSG, who went on to win the title, collected about £124.62 million last year, so Arsenal have now already surpassed that figure.
Meanwhile, UEFA has set aside a record £2.13 billion in prize money for the 2025-26 Champions League season, highlighting the competition’s growing financial stakes.
JAN OBLAK CONFESSES ATLETICO WERE "AFRAID TO PLAY" AGAINST ARSENAL
Following their Champions League exit, skipper Jan Oblak analysed where Atletico went wrong and paid tribute to Griezmann.
Jan Oblak didn’t hold back after Atletico Madrid crashed out of the Champions League against Arsenal. He said straight up that the team just didn’t do enough to earn a spot in the final. Sure, he’s proud of how far the squad has come recently, but the way they went out still stings.
Oblak was pretty open about where things went wrong, especially after the first leg, when Atletico failed to take an advantage back to London. “I'm disappointed, just like all the fans. Honestly, I can’t find the words. We didn’t do enough to be in the final, and it’s just a tough moment. We had our chances to win, but we didn’t take them. All that’s left is to congratulate Arsenal.”
He didn’t stop there, either. Speaking to CBS Golazo, Oblak was even more direct about the team’s mentality, especially in the first half of both matches. He felt Atletico were hesitant, too respectful of Arsenal, and afraid to play. Both times, they fell behind before halftime and then tried to play catch-up, but it was always a little too late. “This has happened several times this season,” Oblak said, “and while we’ve managed to win those games before, not today when it mattered most.”
On the flip side, Oblak did give some credit to the young players and the growth the team’s shown, especially after a couple of big summers that saw a huge part of the squad change. “The last two seasons, we’ve switched out something like 15 players. A lot of young guys with not much experience came in. They did great in the cup, and they’ve held up in the Champions League too. In the league, we weren’t good enough for the biggest matches, but I’m proud of how the younger ones are growing. Still, when the goal is to win a title, and you don’t, you can’t call it a success. All we can do is look forward and hope we’ll be fighting for trophies next season.”
Saying goodbye to Antoine Griezmann made this exit even sadder for Oblak and the rest of the squad. Griezmann’s heading to Orlando City this summer, bringing the curtain down on his Champions League career with Atletico. “Everyone’s going to miss Griezi; he’s an incredible player and a great guy. The kind of person who’s always smiling, always positive, and does things on the pitch nobody else can. We’ll miss him a lot; the fans will miss him, but he deserves nothing but the best wherever he goes.”
At 33, Oblak is one of Atletico’s true leaders, right behind Koke for the captain’s armband. Alongside Jose Maria Gimenez and Marcos Llorente, he’s been a
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