Barça walks away with the Copa del Rey after a chaotic 3-2 El Clásico win, while Real Madrid walks away with... a trio of red cards and a few emotional Instagram stories.
Toni Rüdiger, Jude Bellingham, and Lucas Vázquez all decided to beat the traffic early and got themselves sent off before the final whistle. Vini Jr somehow managed to avoid a red, which in this context almost feels like a miracle. The Spanish Federation has confirmed that the red-carded trio will face suspension, while the memes write themselves.
Rüdiger, to his credit, issued the classic "I'm sorry" post, ticking every box: apologized to the referee, admitted he let everyone down, and reminded us he was really trying hard for 111 minutes before switching off like a PlayStation left idle. Fair enough.
Meanwhile, Fede Valverde opted for the heartbreak novel. His message? “It happened again… it will surely happen again…”, which, depending on your level of optimism, is either a poetic sign of resilience or just a brutally honest preview of next season. He said he feels like he failed the fans. Some might argue the three red cards did most of the heavy lifting there, but hey, team sport.
He wrapped it up with a vow: "We’ll be back. We’ll continue. And I’ll be leaving everything on the pitch." Madrid fans, grab your tissues. Or your pitchforks. Dealer's choice.
In the end, Barcelona celebrates a dramatic trophy win. Madrid... not so much. But at least they dominated the disciplinary column. Silver linings?
