Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe was given a straight red card for a shocking challenge on Sunday but fans immediately came up with a theory.
Carlo Ancelotti elected to rest both Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham against Alaves ahead of the Champions League quarter final second leg against Arsenal, who take a 3-0 lead to the Santiago Bernabeu.
Mbappe was handed a start but the former Paris Saint-Germain star lasted just 38 minutes after being given his marching orders.
Four minutes after Eduardo Camavinga opened the scoring, Mbappe produced a horrendous tackle on Antonio Blanco that was high and late and was initially shown a yellow card.
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It was quite rightly upgraded to a red card after a VAR review, giving Mbappe his first red card since joining Real on a free in the summer.
He exited the pitch early but while the dismissal gave Real a disadvantage as they were down to ten men, many fans suggested that Mbappe would benefit from extra rest going into the crunch clash with Arsenal.
One fan on X commented: "Mbappe just wants to rest well before the Arsenal game."
Another said: "Mbappe by all means want to rest for Wednesday."
A third added: "Mbappe wanted the same rest as Vini so he got himself a red card."
A fourth wrote: "Mbappe gets a red card deliberately so he can have sufficient rest before they close the roof of the Bernabeu."
A final user stated: "Mbappe getting sent off to rest himself for Arsenal, is it?"
Kylian Mbappe could be banned for final
Mbappe has found the net 32 times in his first season at Real but will now be facing a domestic suspension at a key part of the season.
Typically in La Liga, a red card results in an immediate one-game ban - which can be extended based on what is written in the referee's report.
If it was to be a three-game ban, he would miss upcoming fixtures against Athletic Club and Getafe - as well as the Copa del Rey final showdown with Barcelona at Estadio de La Cartuja on 26 April.
He will of course be available to play in the Champions League as the ban does not apply to European competitions.
Topics: Arsenal, Champions League, Kylian Mbappe, La Liga, Real Madrid, Fan Reactions
Josh Lawless