Real Madrid News
Arbeloa faces severe dilemma to reincorporate superstar midfielder into the starting XI
Real Madrid’s final game before the international break was against Atletico Madrid and saw Jude Bellingham make his long-awaited return from injury on the night.
The Englishman started on the bench against Los Rojiblancos and came on for the final 16 minutes of the game at the Santiago Bernabeu.
His long-awaited return came after over a month and a half on the sidelines and he replaced Arda Guler on the night. The big question now, however, is how he will slot back into the starting lineup.
The plans in mind
There is no doubt that Alvaro Arbeloa sees Bellingham as a guaranteed starter, but given the stability the team showed without him on the field, it becomes a serious dilemma as to who drops out for him to slot back in.
As reported by MARCA, Arbeloa did not instate a traditional number 10 in Bellingham’s absence and shifted to a 4-3-3 with the attacking midfielder’s responsibility distributed between the likes of Arda Guler, Federico Valverde and Thiago Pitarch.
Kylian Mbappe’s concurrent return from injury likely means that Brahim Diaz will drop out of the lineup and the Frenchman will return to partner Vinicius Jr. in attack.
One option for Arbeloa, however, is also to replace Diaz with Bellingham so as not to disturb the midfield which has worked well in recent months, although it will require tactical tweaking to help the Englishman thrive in a role that is not typically his position.
A second option, as Arbeloa said ahead of the derby, is to play Pitarch and Bellingham together on the field – something that is also complicated given how Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni are undroppable.
In such a scenario, Arda Guler could be seen as a dispensable option and may make way for Bellingham in midfield. That, however, would also be controversial.
Arbeloa, thus, faces a major challenge in deciding where the Englishman fits in while also bringing Mbappe back to the lineup.
Real Madrid News
Kylian Mbappe unlocks three Champions League achievements after Roma 3-4 Real Madrid thriller
Kylian Mbappe marked his 100th UEFA Champions League appearance with a goal against AS Roma, reaching another major milestone in a competition he has dominated throughout his career.
As such, the Real Madrid forward scored his 72nd Champions League goal on Wednesday, moving past club legend Raul Gonzalez on the competition’s all-time scoring list and into fifth place.
Mbappe surpasses Messi and Raul
Mbappe reached 100 Champions League appearances against Roma and marked the occasion with a goal.
Kylian Mbappé is the youngest-ever player to reach 100 Champions League appearances (27y 298d). Lionel Messi’s record is broken (28y 84d). 💯 https://t.co/QxB7jmGlop
— Squawka (@Squawka) October 14, 2026
At 27 years and 298 days, he became the youngest player to reach that landmark, surpassing Lionel Messi’s previous record of 28 years and 84 days.
As such, Mbappe’s 72 Champions League goals have come across three clubs: six for Monaco, 42 for Paris Saint-Germain and 24 for Real Madrid.
Only Messi and Lewandowski outscored Mbappe
Mbappe’s record becomes even more impressive when measured against other top Champions League forwards during their first 100 appearances.
📊 Only Robert Lewandowski and Lionel Messi scored more goals in their first 100 Champions League matches than Kylian Mbappe. The Frenchman has netted an incredible 𝟕𝟐 goals in his first century of matches. 🔥 https://t.co/77Yg7DdD6L
— Football Insider (@footyinsider247) October 15, 2026
Robert Lewandowski scored 81 goals in his first 100 matches, while Messi registered 77. Mbappe’s 72 goals place him behind those two players, but ahead of numerous other legendary attackers.
Cristiano Ronaldo remains the Champions League benchmark
Despite moving into fifth place, Mbappe still has a substantial gap to close before reaching the top of the all-time scoring rankings.
Karim Benzema sits ahead of him with 90 goals, followed by Lewandowski on 109 and Messi on 129. Cristiano Ronaldo leads the standings with 140 Champions League goals.
𝐊𝐘𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐍 𝐌𝐁𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐒 𝐑𝐀𝐔𝐋 𝐈𝐍 𝐔𝐂𝐋 𝐆𝐎𝐀𝐋𝐒 😲👏 That is now 72 UCL goals for him, breaking into the top 5 😮💨 𝘼𝙡𝙡-𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙜𝙪𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙧𝙨: 👇 140 ⚽ Cristiano Ronaldo 129 ⚽ Lionel Messi 107 ⚽ Robert Lewandowski 90 ⚽ Karim Benzema 72 ⚽ Kylian Mbappé 71 ⚽ Raúl Where will he finish on the all-time UCL top scorers list? 👀
— 433 (@433) October 14, 2026
Mbappe’s 72 strikes leave him 18 behind Benzema, meaning the next target in his pursuit of the all-time greats is within reach if he maintains his scoring rate.
Understandably, Ronaldo’s 141 goals remain the benchmark, leaving Mbappe 68 goals short of the record.
The gap is considerable, but the Frenchman has already demonstrated the scoring consistency needed to climb the rankings, and it won’t be a surprise if he breaks his idol’s record.
