Real Madrid Season Kicks Off with Mourinho and Injury Challenges

A new Real Madrid season begins this weekend, and it does so with a jolt of intrigue before a ball is even kicked.

José Mourinho’s second spell in charge officially gets underway with an opening-day trip to RCD Espanyol, and on Friday the club released a travelling squad that underlines both the scale of their injury problems and the fresh blood being pushed to the fore.

Big names missing as injuries bite

Mourinho walks back into a dressing room already stripped of several heavyweights. Rodrygo, Éder Militão and Raúl Asencio have all been ruled out long-term, leaving gaps at both ends of the pitch and forcing the new coach to improvise from the start of the 2026/27 campaign.

The setbacks did not stop there. Aurélien Tchouaméni and Endrick have also been left out of the group heading to the RCDE Stadium, with recent fitness issues convincing the staff not to take any risks on the opening weekend. For a coach who thrives on control and structure, that is a sizeable chunk of his planned spine watching from home.

So Madrid travel light on star power, at least by their usual standards.

Academy door swings open

Injury crises often reveal the next wave. This one is no different.

Into the frame step a trio of academy products: Mario Rivas, Jorge Cestero and Alexis Ciria have all been handed call-ups for the Espanyol clash. For them, it is a chance to swap the training pitches of Valdebebas for the glare of La Liga, and to convince Mourinho they belong in his longer-term plans.

For Madrid, it is a reminder that beneath the marquee names, the conveyor belt keeps turning.

The message from the squad list is clear: the Mourinho era will not wait for a fully fit roster. It starts now, with what he has, and with a few hungry youngsters thrown straight into the deep end.