'Not a secret' – Jude Bellingham and Real Madrid team called out for being 'disrespectful'

Jude Bellingham and his Real Madrid team-mates have been slammed as "disrespectful" by a rival. RCD Mallorca defender Pablo Maffeo isn't shying away from a verbal tussle with the Spanish giants.

ongoing criticism of referees this season reached boiling point during the final on Saturday. Ahead of the match, the refereeing team had already called out the club for publicly condemning match officials.

Despite clinching a 3-2 victory in extra time, the aftermath was marred by controversy. Antonio Rudiger was slapped with a onto the field from the sideline, while was among several Madrid players to clash with referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea. Mallorca defender Maffeo, who has previously clashed with Madrid players, gave a brutally honest verdict when asked about Real's actions.

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"I was supporting the referee, who had a hard time... Just to show you how much attention I paid to the match," Maffeo quipped during an interview with Radio Mallorca Baleares, according to . The 27-year-old defender dismissed any notion of animosity towards Los Blancos on the D-Lokos radio show, but did cast doubt on the integrity of some members of Carlo Ancelotti's squad.

"No, not really. I don't care. My mood doesn't depend on whether they win or lose. I don't care," he stated. "Between Madrid and Barca, I prefer Barca to win. But in a Madrid vs match, congratulations if Madrid won.

"It doesn't affect me. I have friends who are Madridistas. I'm not anti-Madridista. I don't care about them. I'm not anti-, but I don't like them. It's not a secret either. I don't like them. I don't like the players, not Real Madrid itself. I find them disrespectful. The experiences I've had with them make me think that way."

After the cup final, Maffeo stood by referee De Burgos Bengoetxea, noting: "If the big clubs complain, imagine what we smaller ones could say... I support referees because I've felt that pressure from Madrid."

Earlier in the season, Maffeo stirred controversy among Real Madrid fans with remarks about Vinicius Junior, declaring he could "knock Vini out in 10 seconds in a match". During their most recent encounter in January, it appeared Bellingham took issue with Mallorca's Maffeo and referred back to his earlier comments.

Maffeo has admitted that part of his role on the field is to rile opposition players. However, the right-back expressed a preference for Vinicius Junior over Bellingham, as he explained to La Zona 10, as per : "I like Vinicius more than Bellingham because he's like me, he's hot-headed and he comes straight at you," Maffeo said.

"The other one comes from behind. It's a bit like what happens to me in real life with people. Hey, you don't like me? Fine, but you come at me from the front.

"If you act like a gentleman, if you say, 'Oh, the kid is cold, I will give him my jacket,' but then from behind you insult or mess with your team-mates... Well, man, you are a fake. Come face-to-face, it is no problem.

"I do not like you either. You already know it, so do not pretend to be nice. So, if I have to choose one of the two, I'll choose Vinicius, because I know what he is like."

Real have had a string of poor results recently, having been knocked out of the by Arsenal and losing to their familiar rivals in the Copa del Rey final. As Ancelotti's side trail four points behind Barca in La Liga, the much-anticipated El Clasico on 11 May could prove pivotal in the title chase.

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