Players from both teams wore shirts during warm-ups that read “Todos somos caballas” - roughly “We are all from Ceuta” - in support of the Spanish enclave on the North African coast. But Mbappé, Vinícius and centre-back Ibrahima Konaté chose to wear their shirts pulled up over their chests so that parts of the message were not visible. They took off their shirts before kick-off.
The action has sparked debate and a flurry of reactions on social media, with some saying the players were showing solidarity with the migrants, while others felt they were not fully supporting Ceuta's Spanish residents.
It is unclear why the three players chose to wear their shirts lifted, and neither they nor Real Madrid have commented on the incident.
Jorge Calabrés, a journalist at the newspaper El Español, wrote in a column that he is furious about the stars' actions.
"You play for Real Madrid, not just any club. Showing support for Ceuta is neither a political stance nor religious."
The world's eyes were on the Spanish enclave of Ceuta earlier this summer following mass migration from Morocco. The situation has also put the spotlight on the relationship between Spain and Morocco in light of the countries' co-hosting of the 2030 World Cup with Portugal.
