Ferland Mendy Excluded from Real Madrid Champions League Squad

Ferland Mendy has taken a heavy blow. The French left-back has been left out of Real Madrid’s Champions League squad for the new league phase, a clear sign of where he stands in Jose Mourinho’s immediate plans.

Mendy, who picked up an injury toward the end of last season, does not appear on the official UEFA list submitted by the club. His omission is glaring. This is not a fringe player quietly slipping out of the picture, but a defender who has been a regular presence when fit. Now he watches from the outside as Mourinho locks in his group for Europe.

The decision lands just as Real Madrid gear up for their opening Champions League fixture next week at the Santiago Bernabeu against Inter Milan. Mourinho has made his choices, and they paint a stark picture of risk and trust.

Because while Mendy is excluded, two other long-term absentees are very much in the frame. Eder Militao and Rodrygo have both been registered for the competition, listed alongside the rest of the club’s first-team core. The message is clear: the staff believe they can count on them at some stage of this campaign, even if they are not yet fully ready to shoulder a heavy load.

It underlines the delicate balancing act behind the scenes. Mourinho and his staff must juggle fitness doubts, squad depth, and a calendar that barely pauses for breath. They have chosen to gamble on Militao and Rodrygo returning in time to influence Europe. Mendy, for now, is on the wrong side of that calculation.

There are fewer surprises on List A, but the real movement comes on List B. Here, Real Madrid have flooded the squad with youth from Castilla, turning to the academy to reinforce the group. Eleven youngsters have been called up, a sizeable injection of fresh legs and hungry minds.

New signing Sergio Martinez stands out among them. Handed the number 38 shirt, he steps into the European picture before even fully establishing himself domestically. Around him, a cluster of promising names fills out the depth chart: goalkeepers Sergio Mestre and Javi Navarro, defenders like Fortea and Joan Martinez, and others ready to serve as emergency cover or seize a chance if injuries open the door.

These are not headline-grabbing additions, but they matter. Across a long Champions League run, it is often the third-choice keeper, the reserve full-back, the kid from the academy who ends up playing 20 crucial minutes in a tight away leg. Mourinho has made sure he has options.

With the European list now fixed, Real Madrid turn sharply back toward domestic business. There is no time to dwell on who is in or out. A demanding fixture against Real Betis at La Cartuja looms, another early test of the squad’s resilience and rotation.

Sergio Martinez is already feeling the step up, earning senior call-ups as Mourinho looks to blend experience with youth. For some, this is the start of an unexpected rise. For Mendy, it is something very different: a period of enforced patience, watching Real Madrid charge into a gruelling season while he focuses on rehabilitation and wonders how quickly he can fight his way back into Mourinho’s plans.