Real Madrid went back to the top of La Liga<\/a> \u2013 for 24 hours at least \u2013 after a commanding 4-0 victory over newly-promoted Malaga<\/a> in their third fixture of the 2026-27 season. Jose Mourinho\u2019s second match back at the Bernabeu saw another positive performance from Los Blancos<\/a>, as goals from Jude Bellingham<\/a>, Alfonso Herrero (OG) and Kylian Mbappe made the difference.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Thibaut Courtois \u2013 6\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Just the one save that Courtois had to make on his way to a first clean sheet of the season.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Trent Alexander-Arnold \u2013 8\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Trent was at his very best in the first half, and he capped his performance off with a fine assist for Mbappe\u2019s goal on the half hour mark. He was much more solid defensively than he has been generally since joining Real Madrid<\/a>, and that will please both him and Mourinho greatly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Antonio Rudiger \u2013 6.5\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n A first appearance of the season for Rudiger, and he was solid. He didn\u2019t have much to do on the whole, but he dealt with everything that came his way.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Three matches in eight days for Huijsen, but rather than getting worse, he has gotten better. He had a tough first season at the Bernabeu, but under Mourinho, he looks like developing into a top-class central defender.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Real Madrid\u2019s decision to spend big on Cucurella is already paying dividends. The difference in quality between his performance here and Carreras\u2019 against Espanyol\/Real Sociedad was stark, with the 2026 World Cup winner good in both defence and attack.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Federico Valverde \u2013 6.5\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Not the captain\u2019s best performance, but he did enough to lead his side to another three points at the start of the 2026-27 season.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Eduardo Camavinga \u2013 7\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Camavinga came into the season not being counted on by Mourinho, but the injury to Aurelien Tchouameni and Real Madrid\u2019s failure to sign another midfielder have worked in his favour. He struggled in his cameos and Espanyol and La Real, but he was very good here \u2013 he helped control the middle of the park, contributing particularly in defence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Preferred to Guler, Brahim failed to take his chance. He was regularly involved in the play, but he was unable to make a telling contribution before being replaced on 65 minutes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Jude Bellingham \u2013 8.5\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Once again, Bellingham is the man for Real Madrid<\/a>. He opened the scoring with a goal made all on his own, and he was unlucky not to add a second when an effort crashed off the post. The decision to play him further forward is one that Mourinho can take a lot of credit for.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n He struggled to make a telling impact on the whole, but he tried very hard \u2013 even in the press, which will be a pleasing aspect for Mourinho. He got his reward in stoppage time when he set up Guler for Real Madrid\u2019s fourth goal.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Followed up his midweek hat-trick with an excellent volleyed goal in this one, although he will be disappointed to have scored only once. He had several chances, but he was regularly thwarted by Malaga goalkeeper Alfonso Herrero.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Diomande looked threatening during his cameo, which will please Real Madrid<\/a> supporters as he continues to build himself up.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Not the best performance off the bench from the veteran Portuguese midfielder, who wasn\u2019t decisive in his duels.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Came on in the 87th minute, but he had enough time to score after great work from Vinicius.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nPlayer ratings<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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