Mbappe and Vinicius refused to wear this shirt - here's what it really means

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FT Desk

Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior sparked some controversy on Tuesday when they refused to fully take part in a support message for Ceuta amid the migrant crisis in the Spanish city

In July, Ceuta experienced a major influx of migrants as tens of thousands of people attempted to enter the territory from Morocco, with many trying to cross by swimming or walking through the border area. The large number of people arriving in a short period put significant pressure on border authorities and emergency services.

Many migrants faced dangerous conditions while attempting the crossing and dozens of people died, with a lot of them drowning. Spanish authorities sent additional police and military personnel to Ceuta to help manage the situation.

Real Madrid and Elche players wore shirts in support of Ceuta before their game on Tuesday night. Ibrahima Konate, Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe appeared to roll up the t-shirts to obscure the message.

Ceuta is a Spanish exclave on the north African coast. At least 72,000… pic.twitter.com/qCt7e2QLXR

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) September 16, 2026

Many of the people who entered Ceuta eventually returned to Morocco, while others remained temporarily in the territory awaiting assistance or permanent arrangements. The events created a lot of diplomatic tension between Spain and Morocco.

BBC Sport reports that there are still around 5,000 migrats in Ceuta currently.

It has proved to be a delicate subject in Spanish football. Moroccan winger Abdessamad Ezzalzouli was forced to defend himself on social media after being accused of acting insensitively to Moroccan people after wearing a pre-match t-shirt which read "Todos somos Caballas,” roughly meaning “We are all from Ceuta.”

All players in this round of La Liga fixtures were given the option of wearing the shirt and he did before Real Betis' 2-1 win over Villarreal on Monday.

“I want to make one thing clear: at no point was the shirt bearing a reference to the city of Ceuta used for political purposes or with the intention of offending my people, the Moroccan people,” Ezzalzouli said in his statement.

“The shirt had a social purpose, supporting residents and members of a community who were going through a difficult situation, regardless of their nationality.

“This is not an apology to anyone, and whoever wants to use this to question my love for my country is free to do so.

“I will continue to live every day with my head held high, and I will continue to represent my roots with pride and sacrifice."

There would be more controversy to come the next night ahead of Real Madrid's game against Elche.

Mbappe and Vini Jr wore the shirts onto the pitch but strategically rolled them up so only part of the support message could be shown. They then swiftly took them off.

Ibrahima Konate did not wear the shirt at all and simply held it in his hand.

Some Real Madrid fans have taken umbrage with the decision from the trio, especially since a number of supporters expressed their support for Ceuta ahead of the Champions League fixture versus Inter a week ago.

None of the Madrid players have publicly explained why they chose not to display the message as of yet. Real Madrid's position is that the club accepted the initiative while respecting individual players' personal sensitivities, so the decision appears to have been left to the players.

Mbappe has previously spoken about immigration-related issues, although he has generally framed his comments around diversity, tolerance, inclusion and opposition to the far right.

In June of 2024, during the French parliamentary election campaign around the time of the European Championships, the World Cup winner urged young French people to vote and said he was against “extreme views and ideas that divide people.” He also said he wanted to be proud to represent France and referred to values including “diversity, tolerance and respect.” His comments came as the anti-immigration National Rally was gaining support.

It is an issue that is undoubtedly close to Mbappe's heart as his father is a migrant to France from Cameroon, while his mother has Algerian heritage.