There is a well-known history of rivalry between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. Two of Spain’s most dominant teams, they are essentially the biggest rivals in club football. Even the Barcelona and Real Madrid players, more often than not, tend not to see eye to eye.
The recent events show that to be a case not just at the club level but also at the international stage. Not too long ago, Real Madrid forward and French superstar Kylian Mbappe made some claims about the European Championship, stating that winning it was harder than winning the FIFA World Cup.
This did not sit well with a lot of people in the world of football. According to Mundo Deportivo, one such person was Barcelona winger and Brazilian forward Raphinha, who has recently replied to those comments made by Mbappe and tried to remind him about the last World Cup final:
“Unfortunately for him and fortunately for us, he lost a World Cup to a South American team.”
Through this statement, Raphinha was obviously referring to the penalty shootout win for Argentina in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final, in which former Barcelona icon Lionel Messi’s South American side triumphed over Kylian Mbappe’s Europe-based French side.
However, the Barcelona winger did not stop there. He also made sure to reply to Mbappe’s comments about European qualifiers being more difficult than South American ones, and it seems that Raphinha did not take those statements well, claiming:
“I would like to see European teams play the South American qualifiers on the fields we go to. Then we would see if it’s easy or difficult.”
However, by ending on a diplomatic note, the 27-year-old Barcelona forward made sure to suggest that it was simply a difference of opinions, and that Mbappe is rightfully entitled to his own: “Everyone says what they think. It is Mbappé’s opinion and I can’t change what he thinks.”
