Madrid has reconnected with Jude Bellingham. Perhaps, that is the greatest certainty of Madrid’s league start with three flawless victories. After two seasons lost in the fog, with neither him nor anyone else knowing exactly his place on the field, the Englishman has started the season as if he had found all the lost maps. He appears inside the area to score or assist — what he likes most — but he also impacts the collective play. Boosted by his fruitful World Cup, the attacking midfielder barely needed training to give the impression that he glides lightly, in the exact place at every moment. The win against Málaga can be credited to him with the first goal and almost the second.
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A great quality action from him opened a white victory that, more than the clear result, left a Madrid that resolved quickly, in three lashes from its stars, and kept insisting until almost the end, unlike so many past afternoons when it seemed to manage more than play. The newly promoted Málaga, which has barely spent 300,000 euros so far this summer, had no choice but to hold on and stay intact.
On the third day, Mourinho’s rotations arrived, who chose an almost new defense (Trent, Rüdiger, and Cucurella, starters), and made a deeper move in midfield: Bernardo Silva and Arda Güler, the two finest feet in creation, did not start. In the double pivot were two tougher legs, Camavinga and Valverde, and Brahim started on the right (Diomande is still in the break-in phase).
Madrid, in reality, only needed its stars to activate to quickly dispatch Málaga. And none moves better now than Bellingham, who is on fire. His team had been stuck for some minutes, unable to move into space, until the Englishman picked up a loose ball after a Mbappé attempt and signed a great individual action of dribbling, driving, and finishing. It was 1-0 and the start of 11 minutes that finished the session.
The goal boosted the energy of the whites, who executed a spell of intensity and drive, two concepts out of use at the Bernabéu in recent times. The 2-0 went into the stats for defender Puga, but Jude triggered it. He caught in the air a clearance from goalkeeper Alfonso Herrero to a shot from Mbappé, and his header was finished off by the defender in his attempt to clear it. And, almost instantly, Kylian’s 3-0, who did not miss an assist from Alexander-Arnold against an overwhelmed team.
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🤯 What a start to the season for 𝐉𝐮𝐝𝐞.
— Movistar Plus Deportes (@MPlusDeportes) August 30, 2026
Bellingham found the gap to put 1-0 against Málaga CF.#LALIGAEASPORTS #LaCasaDelFútbol pic.twitter.com/yjtfKfGsTI
It is not usual to see a Madrid that does not stop pressing despite such a resolved score in its favor. Far from that heavy and lazy team of the previous two seasons, Mou’s boys continued for a while with energy against a cornered Málaga that only found some air just before halftime. Rafa Rodríguez sent it to the outside of the post in a Madrid lapse on a corner, and Chupe shot at the side netting.
Madrid continued a little longer without pressing its classic energy-saving button. Bellingham was everywhere and his left-footed shot ended up hitting the woodwork. Goalkeeper Herrero also had to stop a Trent attempt while the crowd broke into applause after a Cucurella steal in midfield. If Málaga tried to stretch, it was almost worse for them because another counterattack bite awaited them on the return.
Inevitably, the passage of time led to a more contemplative Madrid, although also with Bellingham everywhere, defending in his area and scolding his teammates. The Englishman left to ovations shortly after VAR canceled a penalty for Málaga for a hand by Diomande on a free-kick shot (the ball came from Rüdiger’s head), and Vini handed the fourth to Güler. The close to a great afternoon for Jude.
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| Position | PT | PJ | PG | PE | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
2 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
3 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
4 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
5 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Position | PT | PJ | PG | PE | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
16 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
17 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
18 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 19 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
20 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
