Are Real Madrid's big stars actually their biggest problem?

Kylian Mbappe made his first Madrid start since February 21 in Saturday's defeat by Mallorca Alex Caparros/Getty Images Share full articleThe day before Real Madrid saw off Manchester City last month and sealed a spot in the Champions League quarter-finals, the Spanish club released a documentary celebrating the path to their most recent European title. The internally produced film follows the team through a 2023-24 campaign packed with drama and incident — including a penalty shootout win over City in the quarter-finals, and a trademark comeback victory against Bayern Munich in the last four. Yet one of the documentary’s most revealing moments came from inside the dressing room at half-time of the 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final at Wembley. The sequence features former Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos complaining that Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham were not working hard enough defensively, which was causing big problems for their team-mates. “It cannot be,” a visibly angry Kroos tells then-Madrid assistant coach Davide Ancelotti. “One of them has to come back, Jude or Vini, as we are two against three over there. Their right-back is always unmarked when he receives the ball.” 🗣️ ¿Qué pasó en el descanso de aquel día? ¡’En el corazón de la Decimoquinta’, ya disponible en RM Play! Madridistas Platinum + Premium + Socios pic.twitter.com/6o7Ld4ZzmM — Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) March 16, 2026 The clip highlights an often uncredited factor behind Madrid’s many Champions League successes over the past decade. Individual moments of inspiration from their big galactico attackers have been vital, but no team can win much in modern football without at least some solid tactical foundation, and without superstars buying into a collective ethos. Real Madrid head coach Alvaro Arbeloa managed to achieve that during Champions League victories over Benfica and Manchester City in February and March, and in the 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid in La Liga just before the recent international break. But Saturday’s lacklustre 2-1 defeat at Mallorca checked some of the positivity around the Bernabeu, and one of the biggest questions for tonight’s Champions League quarter-final first leg at home to Bayern is how to reintegrate fit-again star players Kylian Mbappe and Bellingham without losing the collective spirit and shape built over the last month. Arbeloa became Madrid coach on January 12, after club president Florentino Perez decided that Xabi Alonso’s detailed tactical instructions and cool technocratic approach were not working in a dressing room full of attacking stars. Promoted from his previous role in charge of Madrid’s reserve team in the third tier, Arbeloa did not introduce new, sophisticated ideas. Instead, he focused on quickly improving the mood around the training ground and allowing his players more freedom to make their own decisions during games. It has been striking how Vinicius Jr and Federico Valverde, who both struggled under Alonso, have contributed huge match-winning performances under Arbeloa. Vinicius Jr scored fine solo goals in both Champions League play-off legs against Benfica, and Valverde netted a stunning hat-trick to set Madrid on course to progress in the last 16 first leg against Manchester City. Other squad members, including attacker Brahim Diaz and defender Dean Huijsen, have also looked much more comfortable lately within a simpler system of play. During an injury crisis, with Bellingham and Mbappe among eight senior players unavailable, Arbeloa also promoted Thiago Pitarch from the youth team. Arbeloa said the 18-year-old midfielder’s energy, dynamism and unselfishness were what he wanted from all his players. “If there’s something we need to take away from these last matches, it’s that this is the path, no matter who is on the pitch,” Arbeloa said in a press conference after the second leg win at City. “I’m not just talking about the Champions League but also La Liga. “We’ve already experienced that when we’re not 100 per cent as a team, as a unit, anyone can beat us. We’re aware that we are Real Madrid, but nowadays you have to fight and sacrifice to beat anyone.” Victories over Jose Mourinho’s Benfica, Pep Guardiola’s City and Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid between February and March were seen as evidence that Perez’s bet on rookie coach Arbeloa was working out. Yet circumstances have meant Arbeloa has not yet been forced to deal with what has historically been the Madrid dugout’s biggest challenge — forming all the team’s expensive star players into a cohesive unit. Zinedine Zidane and Carlo Ancelotti managed to do it, and both led the team to multiple Champions League trophies. Rafa Benitez and Julen Lopetegui struggled, and only lasted half a season in the job. Former Madrid player Alonso was well aware of the importance of dealing with this issue when he was appointed last June. His struggle to do so was one major reason he lasted just seven months. Big-name players made their unhappiness known when they were not used in their favourite positions or were asked to do things on the pitch that they did not agree with. The return of Mbappe and Bellingham now gives Arbeloa huge selection decisions. Madrid’s galactico logic suggests Brahim and Pitarch will be dropped for tonight’s Bayern match, with Mbappe and Bellingham likely to start the most important game of the season so far. Many around the club have been waiting to see how Arbeloa deals with the situation. In a press conference before the international break, the former Liverpool defender was asked whether his team could continue to play with the same spirit and togetherness when their biggest names were back. “It’s not the same to play with Brahim or Kylian, or with Jude or Thiago,” he replied. “They have different characteristics and we have to get the best out of them when they’re on the pitch. “Defensively, each must do their job, as they always have. Bellingham and Mbappe have spent many years in the elite, and know very well what it is to work for the team and put their talent at the disposal of their team-mates.” At Mallorca on Saturday, Mbappe recovered from a knee problem to start his first Madrid game since February 21, while Bellingham continued his comeback from a hamstring injury by playing half an hour as a second-half substitute. The team looked short on ideas and conviction as they slumped to a deserved 2-1 defeat. The intensity and collective spirit that had powered the recent upturn in performances and results was also missing. “Without 200 per cent from everyone, we were never going to win,” Arbeloa said in his press conference afterwards. The result allowed Barcelona to move into a seven-point lead in La Liga’s table with just eight games remaining, including a Clasico on May 10. The Bayern Munich tie has become even more important for Madrid, with the Champions League being in effect their only chance of winning a trophy this season. It seems unthinkable that Champions League top scorer Mbappe, who has 13 goals in nine games, will not start alongside Vinicius Jr in attack. What happens with Bellingham will be fascinating — through his (almost) three seasons at Madrid, the Englishman has provided big individual moments, but he has yet to establish a long-term tactical role within the team. “With Jude on the pitch, we are a better team,” Arbeloa said at Monday’s pre-match news conference. “You will see that tomorrow. Kylian has different characteristics, so we have to play differently. But I’m delighted to have this problem — it’s great to have both back.” Getting all their galacticos to buy into the collective ethos that drove the team’s upturn in form through February and March looks central to whether Madrid can defeat Bayern over the two legs. It will also decide Arbeloa’s long-term chances of featuring heavily in any future film documenting Champions League success. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Dermot joined The Athletic in 2020 and has been our main La Liga Correspondent up until now. Irish-born, he has spent more than a decade living in Madrid and writing about Spanish football for ESPN, the UK Independent and the Irish Examiner. Follow Dermot on Twitter @dermotmcorrigan