Real Madrid handed in their squad for the 2026-27 Champions League this week, and Mendy’s name was not on it. The 31-year-old’s spot on List A went to 19-year-old midfielder Sergio Martinez, a summer signing from Racing Santander originally earmarked for Real Madrid Castilla who has been training with the first team under Mourinho this week.
Mendy has been sidelined since May, when he underwent surgery on a torn rectus femoris tendon in his right leg. The club’s most optimistic estimate put a return in September or October, but there is no intention to push the timeline on a player who has spent long spells on the treatment table across his Madrid career.
Militao and Rodrygo made the list
The call looks harsher because two other first-team players still working back from injury did make the cut. Eder Militao and Rodrygo Goes were both registered on List A, a sign the club believes they will play European football before Mendy will.
Their inclusion also tells you how thin Mourinho considers the timeline on his left-back. If Real Madrid had expected Mendy to be available in the first weeks of the league phase, the spot would have been held for him.
Read also: Van Aert opens up: When he would finally go all-in for the Vuelta mountains jersey
Cucurella and Carreras cover the left
Mourinho has two options in the position for Europe. Marc Cucurella and Alvaro Carreras carry the left-back role after Fran Garcia’s summer departure, and both are on the list. Neither is a like-for-like replacement for Mendy, but both have been in training since pre-season and neither carries a fitness question mark.
Sergio Martinez, the beneficiary of the vacant slot, is predominantly a defensive midfielder. He does not solve the left-back problem, but his registration keeps a homegrown option in Mourinho’s European pool for a season in which every List A spot counts.
Mourinho, appointed in June on a contract to 2029, takes charge of his first European night at Real Madrid since 2013 when Inter Milan visit the Santiago Bernabeu. Kick-off is at 9pm local time on Tuesday, 8 September.
Read also: “Gold medals are no shield”: China’s badminton ‘iron triangle’ hit by investigation wave
Read also: Kyrgios back in a month: ITIA classes Mallorca cocaine test as 'social' use
