The opening game of the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 season was full of surprises, and one of the most hotly controversial moments involved Kylian Mbappe’s younger brother, Ethan Mbappe.
Kylian got the goal for the 2-1 Real Madrid win while Ethan was literally written out of his team’s game because he received a red card from the referee after his opponent player Natan from the opposition Real Betis side, claimed to have had an off-the-ball elbow incident with the Lille player who was still on the pitch and was still involved in the game. After the referee saw the VAR footage showing the elbow incident, he issued Ethan a straight disciplinary penalty and showed the Lille captain a red card which meant he wouldn’t play any further part in the match that Lisse was already facing Real Betis with a 3-2 scoreline in their favor and after the red card, it is highly unlikely that they were going to come back from such an embarrassing defeat.
Who is Ethan Mbappe?
Ethan Mbappe Lottin is a French soccer player currently in the squad of a Ligue 1 team, Lille. Ethan was born on December 29th 2006, in Montreuil (France) and is the baby brother of Kylian Mbappe, the French national team’s captain who is also a forward for Real Madrid. Just like his older brother, Ethan came onto the radar during the prestigious PSG youth academy phase and later transferred to Lille, where he signed a contract on July 1, 2024.
While Kylian mainly works as a forward or even a second striker at times, Ethan is a creative footballer in the middle of the park who plays as a deep-lying midfielder and is highly dependent on a technical level, ball control, and ball progression abilities. The young man has always been seen as one of France’s great upcoming talents, and gradually he has won his way further into a first-team regular position since he joined Lille.
Ethan Mbappe’s Eventful Champions League Night
Before Ethan was sent off, the match actually seemed to have been quite exciting from the Lille standpoint. The young Frenchman set up the opening goal for Ayase Ueda and was definitely one of Lille’s most committed players in the first half. Lille first went ahead due to Ueda and Alexsandro, but Betis, with a Marc Bartra brace, made an admirable comeback, and finally Troy Parrott got the turnaround for Betis early in the second half.
Ethan, just a minute after the winning goal by Parrott, was caught on camera by VAR for the deliberate use of his elbow in the area of Natan, the act of which was neither the ball nor a direct challenge. After watching the replay, the referee decided immediately that Ethan must leave the field of play for the rest of the match and as a result Lille left the field with one less man. Betis easily handled the final part of the match to claim a 3-point win and, in this way a successful opening in their Champions League.
Ethan Apologises After Red Card
After the game, Ethan acknowledged his responsibility for that error and apologized to his teammates, coaching staff and fans. He said he had committed an error and took the full blame for getting Lille into some sort of difficult situation in one of the most important games of a team for the entire season.