Kylian Mbappe’s Goal Comes With A Cheeky Tribute Following Villarreal Victory

Last Updated:January 25, 2026, 14:37 IST

Kylian Mbappe dedicates his panenka penalty to Brahim Diaz as Real Madrid beat Villarreal, moving two points clear of Barcelona in La Liga.

Kylian Mbappe celebrates after the Spanish La Liga game against Villareal (Picture credit: AP)

Star Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe on Saturday, January 24, dedicated his panenka penalty to teammate Brahim Diaz, who has been under fire ever since he tried something similar in the Africa Cup of Nations final against Senegal for Morocco, missed it and became a national villain.

Los Blancos took on Villarreal at the Estadio de la Cerámica in La Liga on Saturday. Mbappe put the visitors ahead in the 47th minute and was later brought down in the penalty area during stoppage time.

Mbappe converted a panenka penalty to make it 2-0 for Real Madrid.

“My panenka penalty was for Brahim Diaz," the French forward said after the match.

“I did not speak directly with Brahim. I talked with Achraf (Hakimi) and I can somewhat understand what happened. It is a tough moment. Indeed, I have also experienced difficult times with the national team, anger, frustration," Mbappe had said earlier.

Meanwhile, Alvaro Arbeloa’s side moved two points clear of arch-rivals Barcelona, who host bottom-of-the-table Real Oviedo on Sunday, January 25.

La Liga’s top scorer Mbappe reached 21 goals for the season in the competition to help Madrid see off a spirited Villarreal team, who are now fourth.

Arbeloa’s side have won three successive games across all competitions and a win at Villarreal could be a vital step in the revival of their season.

After a shock Copa del Rey loss to second-tier Albacete in Arbeloa’s first game in charge, just 10 days after replacing Xabi Alonso, his Real Madrid team has started to take shape.

The coach has underlined the importance of his star footballers, with none more influential this season than French superstar Mbappe, who has scored 34 goals across all competitions.

Mbappe and Vinicius Junior “are the best players in the world, they are players who can really unbalance teams, we try to get the ball to them as much as possible," Arbeloa said while speaking to Real Madrid TV.

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