Mbappé Boosts Real Madrid Amid Crisis

The rocky beginning of 2026 which Real Madrid have been experiencing has taken a new dramatic twist but finally on Thursday, Alvaro Arbeloa got a shot of confidence as some of the main players in the club got back to training after the club bowed out in the Copa del Rey.

Spanish giants were outrageously beaten by Albacete in the Round of 16 by a margin of 3-2, which was the first match of Arbeloa as a head coach. Its loss added to frustrations already experienced and that followed shortly after the Real Madrid defeat in the Spanish Super Cup and increased criticism regarding the fitness and depth of the squad.

With the increased pressure, Arbeloa invited Kylian Mbappe, Aurelien Tchouameni and Jude Bellingham to a full team training. The match in Albacete was the planned rest of the three as a part of workload management strategy in a strenuous part of the season.

This is especially meaningful with Mbappe coming back. The reason the French forward is still recovering is that he suffered a knee sprain on the left knee that sent him home in the first two matches of 2026 and the Copa del Rey match. The fact that he took part in the final 15 minutes of the Super Cup final last weekend and that he now regularly attends training bodes of consistent improvement, and gives reason to expect that he will continue to be involved in the next few weeks.

Tchouameni and Bellingham are both important pillars on the midfield, and they were also brought back once they were not overworked by playing too many minutes. Their presence gives their otherwise inconsistent and injury-prone squad balance.

In other locations, Rodrygo Goes and Antonio Rudiger are also left leg knee pain sufferers who train separately as they cope with the condition. According to club sources, both players are likely to be back to the group on Friday, which would see them compete in the LaLiga match against Levante on Saturday at Santiago Bernabeu.

Nevertheless, the list of injuries of Real Madrid is still long. Ferland Mendy, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Eder Militao are also unavailable to play in the Levante game and this leaves Arbeloa with a selection task of trying to put a season that is already straining on its knees.