Real Madrid’s Winners, Losers From the International Break

The loooong international break of September–October 2026 is finally over and players are returning to club duty ahead of the domestic restart this weekend.

It’s back to the grind for Real Madrid stars whose focus turns towards grappling their way back into the title race after a disjointed start to the 2026–27 La Liga season.

Los Blancos have some catching up to do, and host Villarreal on Saturday. Whether the big break directly post-Madrid derby defeat was a good thing for Madrid’s players remains to be seen. Several have certainly relished the chance to play for their countries and José Mourinho will hope they can bring that positivity back to the Bernabéu. For others, well, it hasn’t gone quite so swimmingly.

Here are the winners and losers from the international break.

Winners

Trent Alexander-Arnold

The right back has been in and out of the Madrid team and doesn’t appear to be fully trusted by Mourinho. However, he seems to be winning over England manager Thomas Tuchel (finally) and impressed with an assist to Anthony Gordon in the Three Lions’s 2–0 away win over Czechia.

He then shone again in the return fixture a week later—creating a match-high four chances.

Jude Bellingham

36 - Jude Bellingham tonight makes his 36th England appearance while playing for Real Madrid, the joint most along with David Beckham.

Royalty. pic.twitter.com/SxVCNpNiV3
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 6, 2026

Alexander-Arnold’s international teammate Bellingham continued his fine form with four assists and a goal in four matches for England.

Since the World Cup, the midfielder has looked like one of the planet’s very best once again, with former Manchester United midfielder turned analyst Roy Keane even boldly claiming that the 23-year-old could go on to become “one of the greatest players of all time.”

Marc Cucurella

Spain extended its unbeaten run past the 40-game mark—a feat never before achieved in senior men’s international soccer. Cucurella played three out of four of La Roja’s wins, and was commended as “sensational” by manager Luis de la Fuente after the 4–1 victory over Croatia.

Eduardo Camavinga

Stuck on the fringes at Real Madrid, there was some talk of whether Camavinga might have been sold this summer. He stuck around but has yet to fully convince Mourinho of his worth as a starter.

However, with balance an issue for the manager in the early stages of the season, Camavinga showed what he can offer by impressing for France under former Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane.

In Les Bleus’ two matches against Belgium, Camavinga looked both assured on the ball and strong in the duel as his team ran out 1–0 and 4–1 winners.

Losers

Vinícius Júnior

No player needed the international break more to blow off the cobwebs and boost morale than Vinícius Júnior, whose early season form has been the source of much concern. However, the Brazilian’s turgid start to 2026–27 only continued on national team duty, with the forward admitting he is struggling for confidence.

Vinícius Jr. did score a late penalty in a 4–2 win over Australia, but that was his only goal contribution in three games (Australia twice and India).

With Yan Diomande impressing for Côte d’Ivoire, Vinícius Jr.’s place on the Madrid left wing is coming under increasing scrutiny.

Kylian Mbappé

Mbappé’s lightning start to the season hit a bump after an injury scare on duty with France.

The Ballon d’Or nominee hobbled out of Les Bleus’s 1–0 victory over Türkiye after scoring the only goal of the game. His issue was subsequently diagnosed as a “hyperextended” knee, sparking fears he could miss a key part of Madrid’s season.

However, most reports suggest Mbappé should be fit to at least play some part in the clash with Villarreal. Whether Mourinho risks him is another matter.

Ibrahima Konaté

Another to be cursed by injury while on international duty, Konaté did not play a single minute of action for France but still returned to Valdebebas with a minor knee sprain.

His knock comes at an inconvenient time for Mourinho, with fellow center backs Raúl Asencio and Éder Militão also sidelined.

Bernardo Silva

Signed as the shrewd, experienced winner from Manchester City this summer, Silva has been played fewer than 300 minutes for Real Madrid so far this season.

The 32-year-old has also become a fringe figure internationally it seems, playing a collective total of just seven minutes across four matches in September and October. Silva did not storm out of the Portugal camp—like one of his teammates—but did make headlines for a wild tackle on Martin Ødegaard that left the Norway and Arsenal star with an injury.

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