LaLiga: José Mourinho's first squad to kick off the season

22.08.26 FT LaLiga Spain

Espanyol

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Real Madrid

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After making his return to the Real Madrid dugout this summer, José Mourinho is set to kick off his new adventure this Saturday.

To open the 2026-2027 LaLiga campaign, Real Madrid travel to face Espanyol Barcelona this Saturday. For this clash, the Portuguese manager has called up a squad of 23 players—including, of course, Kylian Mbappé.

New signings (Konaté, Cucurella, Espi, Diomande, Dumfries) are also included in the squad. Camavinga is present as well. However, Tchouaméni, Endrick, Mendy, Militao, Asencio, Rodrygo, and Pitarch are all absent.

The Madrid squad:

Goalkeepers: Courtois, Lunin, and Sergio Mestre.
Defenders: Huijsen, Trent, Konaté, Cucurella, Á. Carreras, Rüdiger, Dumfries, and Mario Rivas.
Midfielders: Bellingham, Camavinga, Valverde, Arda Güler, Bernardo, Cestero, and Alexis Ciria.
Forwards: Vini Jr., Mbappé, C. Espí, Brahim, and Yan Diomande.

Read also: Real Madrid: Tchouaméni vs Valverde conflict, José Mourinho weighs in

Joshua SOSSOU

Editorfr, en, ar

As a sports fan, and particularly a football fan, I've been putting my writing talent to good use for a number of years now to promote African talent and the continent's football in general. On Foot Africa, enjoy reading each of my lines.

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Espanyol

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LaLiga Spain