Barça, Super Cup Champions: How Spanish and International Press Describe the Culé Title

FC Barcelona clinched the 2026 Spanish Super Cup title after defeating Real Madrid in an exciting final (3-2) at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Hansi Flick's team was superior from start to finish and now has 16 titles in the tournament, in addition to celebrating the fourth success of the German coach's tenure.

Raphinha put Barça ahead in the 36th minute, but Vinicius Jr. equalized in the 45+2'. José Luis Munuera, in principle, added three minutes of stoppage time which inexplicably became eight. Robert Lewandowski made it 2-1 for the partial score in the 45+4', but in the 45+7' Gonzalo García sent the match to halftime tied

In the second half, the changes made by both coaches had a greater impact on the Blaugrana's game. In the 73rd minute, a good play between the recently substituted players **Ferran Torres and Dani Olmo** allowed Raphinha to set himself up for a left-footed shot from the edge of the box. Thanks to a deflection off Asensio, the ball surprised Courtois to seal the definitive 3-2

Super Cup Final: This is how the Spanish press titled Barça's triumph

Mundo Deportivo: "Jeddah is blaugrana"

• The Catalan newspaper highlights Raphinha's performance, MVP of the final with a brace, as well as the refereeing errors of Munuera Montero, who ended up sending off Frenkie de Jong in stoppage time. Furthermore, it emphasizes Kylian Mbappé's absence, who only played an insignificant fifteen minutes.

SPORT: "Barça imposes its law and knocks down Madrid in a crazy Super Cup final"

• Sport, for its part, highlights Hansi Flick's statements after the match, as well as the ugly gesture of Mbappé, who urged his teammates not to form a guard of honor for the Barça players during the medal ceremony. The Catalans, on the other hand, did show sportsmanship towards the 'Merengues' during the second-place medal ceremony.

MARCA: "The sheikh is Raphinha"

• The Madrid-based newspaper surrenders to Raphinha, MVP of the final and Real's 'bogeyman' in the last two seasons, with 7 goals in 5 Clásicos. The most underrated footballer in the world?, questions 'MARCA' referring to the individual awards denied to the Brazilian in 2025. 

AS: "Raphinha's Super Cup"

• The newspaper 'AS' also dedicates its front page to Raphinha, who scored 4 goals in the Super Cup, in addition to referencing Mbappé's outburst during the awards ceremony. Xabi Alonso asked the players to stay on the field until Ronald Araujo lifted the trophy.

Estadio Deportivo: "Raphinha leads Barcelona and decides the Spanish Super Cup final against Real Madrid"

• The Sevillian newspaper highlights Raphinha's performance as MVP of the final, along with Mbappé's ugly gesture and a scuffle between Fermín López and a group of Madrid fans in the stands of the King Abdullah Sports City during Barça's celebrations.

Superdeporte: "Barça tames Vinicius' resurgence to be crowned Super Cup champions"

• The Valencia newspaper highlights Barça's great game, superior in possession, play, and the number of scoring opportunities, as well as Vinicius Jr.'s good performance. The Brazilian was the best of the 'Merengue' attack and scored a great goal before halftime, his first after 16 games without scoring for Madrid. In the end, the '7's' contribution was not enough to stop an unstoppable Barça in Spain. 

ABC: "Barça, super champions against a worthy Madrid"

• ABC, likewise, gives Real Madrid a pass for avoiding a thrashing in Jeddah. The Madrid-based newspaper highlights the reflection of Xabi Alonso, who still feels he has the strength to continue on the white bench and asks to value the "positive things" that the Super Cup left, where at least Madrid avoided another embarrassment in the 'semis' against Atlético in the derby.

El País: "Barça conquers a gigantic Clásico against Real Madrid in the Super Cup final"

• The Madrid newspaper also praises the match offered by Barça and Madrid's resilience to provide a great spectacle in Jeddah, far from the grotesque 'Merengue' image in the 2025 'manita' (2-5). The return of captain Ronald Araujo, who lifted the trophy, is also highlighted, as is the relentless contribution of the 'LRL' with two goals and Raphinha, one from Lewandowski and another great game from Lamine Yamal.

European press surrenders to Barça and Raphinha

In the rest of Europe, the sports press also praised the spectacle offered by Barça and Madrid in Arabia in what is, in theory, the least important title of the season, as well as Raphinha's great individual performance.

L'Équipe: "Barça Supercharges"

• The French newspaper praises the spectacle offered by Barça and Madrid in Arabia, again with a five-goal final, unexpected twists, high emotions, and a Hansi Flick team that reigns supreme in Spain once more. L'Équipe believes Mbappé's entry, although "energetic," was late and insufficient despite causing Frenkie de Jong's expulsion in the 90th minute.

La Gazzetta dello Sport: "Raphinha and Lewandowski hit Real Madrid and Barcelona wins the Spanish Super Cup"

• In Italy, the press highlights Raphinha's great game and the resurgence of Robert Lewandowski, who on his return to the starting XI scored Barça's second goal. Just like last season, the Pole and the Brazilian were an unsolvable problem for the Madrid defense, which improvised with Tchouaméni as a center-back alongside Huijsen.

Corriere dello Sport: "Barcelona triumphs, Raphinha punishes Real Madrid: what a spectacle the Spanish Super Cup offered!

• The other major Italian sports newspaper highlights the spectacle of a final in which Real Madrid made a great effort to resist the Catalan siege after Raphinha's initial goal in the 36th minute. The goals from Vinicius and Gonzalo were in vain, as Raphinha once again punished the Whites in the second half after an even first period, narrates Corriere.

France24: "Raphinha's brace crowns Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final"

• The international portal France24 praises Raphinha's great performance, as well as the 'Merengue' reaction in the final minutes of the first and second halves. The performance of Joan García is also highlighted, whose saves prevented a penalty shootout in dramatic added time.

A Bola: "Super Cup: Barcelona wins a crazy final against Real Madrid in Arabia"

• The Portuguese sports newspaper describes the Clásico in Jeddah as "crazy" due to an eight-minute stoppage in the first half that included three goals and another seven minutes of added time in the second half where, by a narrow margin, Madrid forced a penalty shootout with Barça down to ten men after Frenkie de Jong's expulsion. Raphinha, the best player at the moment for the Portuguese press. 

BILD: "Brutal red card in Barça's spectacular victory"

• In Germany, Hansi Flick's dominance over Real Madrid is mentioned, having already defeated them in five out of six clásicos (three finals), as well as the harsh tackle that earned Frenkie a straight red in the 90th minute. The Dutchman will miss the Copa del Rey match against Racing after a foul on Mbappé.

The Guardian: "Raphinha scores a brace and Barcelona defeats Real Madrid to win the Spanish Super Cup"

• The English newspaper described the Super Cup final as 'wild' due to nonsensical score changes and a dramatic resolution. Raphinha was the star with his brace, but so was Joan García with his saves (7). The Guardian wonders if Madrid's 'worthy' defeat in Jeddah will be enough to keep Xabi Alonso on the 'Merengue' bench. 

BBC Sport: "Barcelona beats Real Madrid and retains the Spanish Super Cup title"

• The BBC highlights Raphinha's brace and Barça's 'back to back' win, as they become the first team to successfully defend the Super Cup title since the format change. Furthermore, the Catalans had not won the tournament, of which they are the most successful team, since 2011, in another grand final against Real Madrid, which at that time was decided by an aggregate score of 5-4. 

Latin American Press Bows to Raphinha

In Latin America, there were also diverse reactions to Barça's victory in the Spanish Super Cup. In Argentina and Mexico, they praised the spectacle offered by both teams, Raphinha's stellar performance, and the overwhelming dominance in Spain of Hansi Flick's team.

Olé: "Barcelona beat Real Madrid in an exciting final and is the champion of the Spanish Super Cup"

• The Argentine sports newspaper highlights the great spectacle of a "cyclothymic and changing" Spanish Clásico, where the Catalans always had control of the game, possession, and were never behind on the scoreboard, but Madrid almost managed to force a penalty shootout in Arabia. Olé highlights the entry of Franco Mastantuono in the 82nd minute, a substitution heavily criticized by the white brotherhood due to the good game played by Vinicius and the poor contribution of the Argentine winger in the final stretch.

Dépor: "Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 3-2 and was crowned champion of the Super Cup"

• The Peruvian newspaper highlights the dominance in local competitions of the team led by Hansi Flick, which has won 4 out of 4 titles in Spain over the last year and a half. Raphinha, with a brace, led the Barça triumph in Jeddah. 

ESPN Argentina: "Barcelona won the Clásico and conquered the 2025/2026 Spanish Super Cup in a great match against Real Madrid"

• The Argentine portal highlights Raphinha and Joan García as key figures in the Blaugrana victory against a Real Madrid that fought hard in defeat. Refereeing controversies and a dramatic finish in stoppage time of both halves were the highlights of the second Clásico of the season and the first major final of 2026.

Globo: "Barça are champions against Real Madrid with a Raphinha show"

• The sports supplement of the Brazilian newspaper surrenders to the performances of Raphinha and Vinicius, with a 'jackpot' on the side of Barça's '11'. Rapha's brace allowed him to reach 9 goals in Clásicos, while Vini broke a drought of more than three months without scoring, but once again left empty-handed in Jeddah.

Ovación: "The most anticipated image: Ronald Araujo went from Vinicius's concern to the squad's ovation" 

• The Uruguayan sports newspaper highlights Ronald Araujo's redemption. After a month and a half away from the team due to personal reasons, the '4' returned to the bench against Real Madrid, played the final minutes, and lifted the Super Cup trophy as captain. His teammates tossed him in the air during the celebrations, and Flick was the first to acknowledge his importance in the locker room. Fede Valverde, on the opposing side, was substituted in the 65th minute after receiving a yellow card and looking 'off'.

ESPN Mexico: "Barcelona defeats Real Madrid and wins the Super Cup"

• ESPN Mexico places Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, and Joan García on the podium of stars from a great match in Arabia where Barça ratified its supremacy against an ultra-defensive Real Madrid that almost forced penalties.

Récord (Mexico): "Culé Dynasty: Barcelona defeats Real Madrid in the Super Cup final"

• The Mexican sports newspaper highlights Raphinha's performance as MVP of the Super Cup, as well as Lamine Yamal's viral celebration, complete with a dance, in the locker room of the final stadium. Pau Cubarsí was also a protagonist of the celebrations, with a middle finger gesture on the pitch. 

In the United States, Raphinha's performance against Real Madrid is also praised

Sports Illustrated: "A superlative Raphinha leads Barcelona to back-to-back Super Cup titles against Real Madrid"

• The specialized portal surrenders to Raphinha's contribution, a true nightmare for Real Madrid in the last six clásicos, where the whites only won one, coincidentally with the '11' injured. Raphinha has 7 goals and 3 assists against the 'merengues' since Flick's arrival on the Barça bench. 

ESPN USA: "Raphinha shines in Barça's thrilling Super Cup final victory over Madrid"

• ESPN USA also bows to the MVP of the final and highlights Barça's 'revenge' for the defeat in October's Clásico, where the goalscorers in Arabia, Raphinha and Lewandowski, were out due to injury, as was Joan García.