Whistles at the Santiago Bernabeu. No nuances. Every time Vinicius came into contact with the ball, the murmur turned into an open whistle, an unmistakable sign of disapproval. More restrained, but equally present, those directed at Kylian Mbappe. The crowd passed judgment by singling out two of its biggest stars on a night full of tension.

And that is despite Arbeloa not seeing it that way before the match. "It doesn't worry me because I have felt on the street that Madridismo is with the team. What we have to do is play a great match tomorrow, play well, show that we want to win and earn the applause of the Bernabeu," he assured. The first whistles were not long in coming... for a fanbase that has a lot bottled up after a season in which nothing has gone right.

The blow of the elimination in Munich still weighs heavily, and the Bernabeu did not miss the chance to remind everyone of it. The demand is maximum, and the memory is short.

Neither talent nor status shielded Vinicius and Mbappe, who were turned this time into targets of a crowd that went from admiration to reproach without transition. The first, the Brazilian, got the worst of it. And the Frenchman, who had not yet experienced anything like it at the Bernabeu, felt firsthand what the white club's demand means.

A stadium that forgives no star (Cristiano, Zidane, Kroos...). In Chamartin, the verdict always comes quickly... and sounds loud. Another who was singled out was Carreras, although his whistles came after a mistake on Alaves' first attack.

Very lucky, but it counts the same. Guler redirected it; Mbappe controlled it poorly, and before they could take it off him, he got the shot off, almost off his feet; it hit an opponent and went into Silvera's net.

Half because of the fluke, half because of the whistles... Mbappe responded to the crowd's anger by not celebrating the goal. A couple of smiles to his teammates and toward midfield.

So it stands, another goal for Mbappe on his endless tally, who had not scored in the league since Feb. 8, when he scored against Valencia on matchday 23. He now has 41 goals, 24 in the league, to hold off the challenge of Muriqi, whom he leads by three goals, with tonight's strike in the race for the Pichichi.

And that is Madridismo: whistling a player who has scored a whopping 41 goals. It is never enough... especially when they don't come in the big games.

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