LaLiga talking points
May 23 (Reuters) - Talking points from the weekend in LaLiga.
ANGER AND BITTERNESS OVER MBAPPE DECISION
The final weekend of the LaLiga season was dominated not by drama on the pitch but the bitter fall-out of Kylian Mbappe's decision to snub Real Madrid and stay with Paris St Germain.
Rarely has a non-transfer created such a stir, with pundits and fans in the Spanish capital accusing the French striker of 'betrayal' after he reportedly reached a verbal agreement with Real months ago, only to change his mind.
"You need class to play at Real Madrid," read the headline in sports daily Marca. "It's his loss," said AS on its front page. The narrative threatens to overshadow the build-up to Real's Champions League final against Liverpool -- in Paris.
WHAT'S NEXT FOR BARCA?
Barcelona ended their season with another uninspiring performance, losing 2-0 at home to Villarreal who secured a spot in the Europa Conference League after finishing seventh.
In his first season, manager Xavi Hernandez saw his team finish 13 points behind champions Real Madrid, knocked out in the Champions League group stage and then from the Europa League in the quarter-finals against Eintracht Frankfurt.
There are many questions surrounding Barca ahead of this summer. Their financial woes alone accounted for 56% of the league's total pre-tax net losses in 2020-21 and they will start a four-year renovation process of their historic Camp Nou stadium that will add an additional 1.5 billion euros to the club debts that last August president Joan Laporta said totalled 1.35 billion euros.
It means Barca will face a similar challenge on the field with Frenkie de Jong's rumoured departure to Manchester United only the first of what might be several departures.
MOLINA'S MISSED PENALTY DECIDES RELEGATION BATTLE
Granada's 40-year-old striker Jorge Molina was distraught after missing a penalty in the second half of their clash with Espanyol -- a miss that sent his side down.
The game ended 0-0 and with Cadiz and Mallorca both winning their respective games, Granada, who started the final day one point better off than both of them, ended up being relegated.
A tearful Molina was not able to speak to reporters after the game, however he confirmed he will stay with the club for one more season.
Granada joined Levante and Alaves as the bottom three clubs relegated to the second division. (Reporting by Fernando Kallas; editing by Martyn Herman)
