Champions League: Kylian Mbappé and Real Madrid fear a new galactic fiasco before the showdown in Munich

Bayern Munich – Real Madrid It is no longer just a “specter” hanging over the Spanish capital, but a real threat: the possibility of a second consecutive season without a major title for the Iberian giant, beaten 2-1 in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. Without a comeback in Munich, which is still within the reach of the “king of Europe”, a specialist in epic turnarounds in “his” tournament, no cup, no silverware will come to complete the impressive collection on display in its museum. No La Liga, unless Barcelona completely collapses, leading by nine points with seven rounds left in the season, nor Copa del Rey, after a shameful elimination in the Round of 16 by Albacete, a second division team. Not even the Spanish Super Cup, lost to the Catalan rival, which led to the departure of Basque Xabi Alonso in early January. Madrid fans are left only with their eyes to cry, and the Champions League to keep dreaming (a little). Even if they were not many to truly believe, last Friday after the draw (1-1) against Girona, where Mbappé ended the match with a bloody face after an elbow from a defender. It is unclear, to be honest, who will play the biggest role on Wednesday in Munich, between Kylian Mbappé – still tasked with being the savior – his Brazilian compatriot Vinicius Junior – who only shone when the French international was injured in the knee and has not yet renewed his contract expiring in 2027 – or the Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa, whose fate seems already sealed. Florentino Perez threatened? Unless it is actually the untouchable Real Madrid president Florentino Perez? Re-elected last year until 2029, the 79-year-old businessman had placed all his trust in the former PSG striker, who came to fulfill “his dream” in 2024 after over seven years of pursuit, to lead Real towards a new era of domination in Europe. Nearly two years later, the “White House” finds itself with its back against the wall, with an irregular and uncertain team. A galaxy of stars, which seems to have been assembled more to sell tickets and jerseys than to actually build a team capable of achieving its ambitions. The memory of the “Galacticos” An elimination on Wednesday, and the affront that would represent a second season without a major title, for the first time since 2005-2006, would definitively seal this new endeavor. At the time, this had led Perez to resign, taking responsibility for the failure of his “Galacticos” project: “We have a team with great players, but some think their place on the field is guaranteed and that they are the best. They are mistaken,” he declared back then. Hard today not to see a certain parallel: Real Madrid is by far the club that generates the most revenue in Europe, but on the field, it no longer wins. And Mbappé, who came to Spain to satisfy his thirst for glory and finally win a first Champions League and a first Ballon d’Or, finds himself pointed out as the main culprit, when he may be – above all – a victim of the lack of planning by his leaders. This Wednesday, April 15, 2026 at 9:00 PM, on Canal+.