Kylian Mbappe's 6-minute double helped Real Madrid turn the game around to defeat Villarreal with a score of 2-1. After round 28 of La Liga, Los Blancos currently have the same 60 points as the leader Barcelona but have played 1 more match. However, the 3 valuable points of the "White Vultures" were not the main topic of discussion after the final whistle.
Instead, this is Real Madrid's latest battle with La Liga. This time it's about how long their players will rest after a 120-minute tense match ( plus a penalty shootout) against Atletico Madrid in the round of 16 of the Champions League.
Real Madrid players are expected to have less than 72 hours to recover from the Champions League match until they return to La Liga. That is exactly 66 hours and 45 minutes and the Bernabeu team was not satisfied. First, Real's official TV channel spoke out against the match. They said this was the last time the club accepted to play with less than 72 hours of rest.
Carlo Ancelotti confirmed this stance at a press conference after the win over Villarreal: "I think today is the last time. We're not going to play like that anymore."
When asked whether that would mean his side would refuse to play if the same situation occurred, Ancelotti replied: "Of course".
It is worth noting that Real are not the only team in La Liga competing with a break of less than 72 hours last weekend. The same thing happened to Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad and Real Betis, after a series of matches in the Europa League and Conference League.
La Liga president Rafael Tebas quickly pointed to the media last weekend that Ancelotti's claim would soon be verified. Real Madrid will meet Leganes in La Liga on 29/33, starting at 9pm local time. And then they will face Real Sociedad in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final next Tuesday, starting at 9pm.
That means there will be less than 72 hours of rest, if calculated from the end of the first match. Will Los Blancos not participate in the Copa del Rey semi-final? It seems unlikely.
It is also unclear whether FIFA supports Real Madrid in this stance. Remember, the 72-hour break is recommended by the FIFPRO player federation, but there are no mandatory rules or obligations.
Finally, this is the latest front in the multidimensional war, causing Real Madrid damage to La Liga over a series of issues, from television copyright management, CVC investment agreements, super tournaments and now the schedule.
