Last summer, Real Madrid finally brought in Kylian Mbappe, completing the most anticipated transfer in world football in recent years. However, aside from the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup (trophies inherited from the success of the previous season), the club has had only one real chance to lift a trophy this current campaign.On Saturday (23.00), Barcelona and Real Madrid will face off on neutral ground in Seville in the Copa del Rey final. Madrid is well aware of the importance of the match and the fact that it is their only real chance to salvage the season, which is why they’ve already started to apply pressure on the referees — a move reminiscent of the atmosphere often seen in these parts ahead of high-stakes matches.Who is calling? ☎️ pic.twitter.com/z4wORNuQrK— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 25, 2025 Real’s club television aired a video around three and a half minutes long, targeting the reputation of the main referee appointed for Saturday’s final — Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea. The video breaks down every past match where he officiated games involving Real Madrid, and according to the club, he allegedly made decisions against them almost every time.“This is a man FIFA never counted on, nor did UEFA. But in Spain — yes. Outside of our country, he’s an insignificant referee, but despite that, he will be officiating his third final between us and Barcelona, after the Super Cups in 2017 and 2023,” the video explains.The clip continues by comparing Real’s and Barcelona’s win percentages under Bengoetxea’s officiating. Real has won 64% of the matches, while Barcelona boasts an 81% win rate. The video also points out that Bengoetxea is considered a “man on a mission” for Luis Medina Cantalejo and Carlos Clos Gomez, the current heads of refereeing in Spain.Real Madrid TV have released a video going after the referee who will oversee the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona (Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea) pic.twitter.com/utqUrXriyN— Luis Mazariegos (@luism8989) April 24, 2025 The most recent incident mentioned in the video refers to the Madrid derby against Atletico at the Bernabeu, which ended in a 1–1 draw. Julian Alvarez scored from the penalty spot for Atletico after Aurelien Tchouameni was judged to have committed a foul — which Madrid insists was a non-existent penalty.“It’s unbelievable what he called in that game. He only checked VAR twice, and even then, only from angles that didn’t clearly show what actually happened. That’s how we lost two points,” the clip concludes.‼️🇪🇸 Before the Copa del Rey final, the referee for the match spoke in a press conference..De Burgos Bengoetxea: “When your son goes to school and there are children who tell him that his father is a thief and he comes home crying, that’s really tough.”😢pic.twitter.com/eHjfFz8atq— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) April 25, 2025 On the other side, referee had a lot to say about these “war” against him.”When your son goes to school and is told his father is a ‘thief’ and comes home crying, it’s a real pain. What I do is try to educate my son to tell him that his father is honest, that he makes mistakes like any other athlete. It’s really tough, I don’t recommend it to anyone.”COPA DEL REYFinal23:00: (2.20) Barcelona (3.60) Real Madrid (3.15)***odds are subject to change***
