Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Ibrahima Konate rolled up their pre-game T-shirts ahead of Real Madrid's match at Elche on Tuesday to obscure the message of support for the people of Ceuta. Players from both sides wore white shirts reading "Todos somos caballas" – "We are all Ceutans" – but Mbappe, Vinicius and Konate had theirs rolled up. Mbappe and Vinicius removed their shirts before the handshake, while Konate kept his on longer.

The gesture followed a major migration crisis after thousands entered Ceuta from Morocco, with at least 72,000 crossing on 30 and 31 July. At least 100 people died during the crossing, according to Ceuta's mayor, and up to 5,000 remain in makeshift camps. Real Madrid had previously shown support for Ceuta during their Champions League match against Inter Milan.

Barcelona did not take part in the initiative, while other La Liga players wore the shirts as intended. Real Madrid recovered from two goals down to beat Elche 3-2, with Carlos Espi scoring the winner in stoppage time.