Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé has directly addressed the controversy surrounding the Madrid derby officials, telling Diario AS that the referee is human and makes mistakes, and that mistakes were made. The Frenchman declined to elaborate further, instead steering the conversation toward Real Madrid’s response going forward.

Mbappé spoke to the outlet during an event tied to his new agreement with Swiss sportswear company On, using the opportunity to review the derby itself. It was very difficult, he said, adding that Real Madrid wanted to win and knew what kind of game awaited them, but that the team gave everything and must move forward with so much of the season still to play.

Pressed specifically on the officiating, Mbappé was careful not to turn his answer into a public complaint. He said he does not think he has ever been a player who talks much about the referee, and that he was not going to start now.

He has his own thoughts on what happened, he said, but he is keeping them to himself, stressing that he has never been that kind of player. The referee is human and makes mistakes, and there were mistakes, he added, but he did not want to get into that.

The measured response stands in contrast to the noise generated elsewhere around the fixture, though the primary basis for this piece is Mbappé’s own account to Diario AS rather than any wider institutional reaction. Those seeking the specifics of the match itself, including the Madrid derby result , can find that covered separately.

Rather than dwell on the officiating, Mbappé used the rest of his comments to set out what he believes Real Madrid need going forward. Other people can talk, he said, but the players have to do more and work to bring the excitement back to the club and bring the trophies back.

It is a message consistent with his broader framing of the derby: a difficult result to take, but one that need not define the campaign given how much football remains. For a player who has made clear he prefers to let his football answer questions rather than his words, the emphasis on effort and consistency reads as entirely in character.

Those wanting more detail on the VAR process that shaped the derby narrative can consult this breakdown of the VAR audio , though Mbappé himself offered no specifics on individual incidents in his comments to AS.