Three winners and three losers for Real Madrid from the 2026 FIFA World Cup | OneFootball

The recently concluded FIFA World Cup was a special one for Real Madrid as the club’s players broke innumerable records and completed the campaign by handing Los Blancos the position as the club with the highest-ever goal contributions in a single edition.

Several of the team’s big names showed up in grand style at the event and delivered what was expected from them and more. Others, however, produced disappointing campaigns that are better forgotten and moved on from.

Beyond the existing first-team players, there were also four of the club’s new signings on display at the event – all of whom experienced varying campaigns.

The tournament officially closed last night with Spain proclaimed the champions of the world, and the timing could not be better to review the performances of the many Real Madrid stars who were in action.

Madrid Universal brings you the three winners (hits) and three losers (flops) from Real Madrid in the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Winner: Kylian Mbappe

The Golden Boot winner. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)

The French talisman once again proved why the FIFA World Cup is his event to shine. On the stage where the best players come under pressure and struggle to deliver, Mbappe was again in the limelight week in and week out for all the right reasons.

Mbappe finished the tournament as the Golden Boot winner, scoring ten goals and winning it by a margin of two goals over Lionel Messi. He became the first player to score double-digit goals at a World Cup since Gerd Muller in 1970.

Beyond that, the player also became the all-time leading goalscorer in the competition in what comes as a massive accomplishment. He even became the French national team’s top-scorer of all time.

Watching Mbappe play with complete precision in the final third, needless to say, will hand Mourinho ideas of how to maximise his output. The Frenchman once again proved he is a lethal weapon in clutch moments, and will look to produce the same for Real Madrid.

Loser: Arda Guler

Failed to deliver on the expectations. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

Turkey entered the World Cup making their maiden appearance after 24 years, but there was a sense of excitement around the team given the young talents who have lit up world football in recent years.

Arda Guler was the centrepiece of Turkey’s plans and was even seen as the team’s marquee player heading into the event. A big brunt of their eventual group stage elimination, thus, unsurprisingly fell on him.

Across his team’s three group stage games, Guler managed to score only one goal and failed to rack up a single assist. Considering that he played all 270 minutes possible, that was underwhelming.

He struggled to establish any form of rhythm in midfield for his side and saw his creative output plummet shockingly. Guler even struggled to keep up with the physicality of the game, especially against Paraguay.

Winner: Jude Bellingham

Bronze medal and Bronze boot for Bellingham. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)

Bellingham was another Real Madrid player who dominated the goal-scoring charts, albeit as a less expected candidate. There were shouts to drop the player from the squad ahead of the event, and he shut his critics in the best manner possible.

The Englishman finished as his country’s top goalscorer at the event with seven goals, even ahead of Harry Kane. He was third in the Golden Boot race after only Mbappe and Messi.

What made his contributions special, however, was the weight each of his goals carried and the situations they arrived in. 

After all, almost all of his goals were either winners or equalisers that came under the highest of pressure, and both his braces arrived in knockouts.

Bellingham’s braces against Mexico and Norway, in particular, were very special as they single-handedly drove England to the semifinals of the competition in games where they did not look as dominant as expected.

What his campaign proved what they he is best deployed in the attacking third with a free-floating role – something he did not enjoy last season at Real Madrid. Mourinho’s focus, thus, will be to recreate that environment around him at the club level as well.

Loser: Bernardo Silva

Poor. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)

Portugal were one of the pre-tournament favourites, and Bernardo Silva one of the team’s guaranteed starters heading into the tournament. His transfer to Real Madrid, thus, generated much excitement and he was expected to be a key player.

The narrative, however, was shocking as Silva suffered a fall from grace at the worst possible time. He fell down the manager’s pecking order and lost his starting status immediately after Portugal’s opener.

Across four appearances, the midfielder had no goals, no assists and just one shot attempted. He only played 94 minutes throughout the tournament.

For a player of Bernardo Silva’s stature to see a fall in prominence to the extent that unfolded, needless to say, makes him a flop of the event. For it to arrive just before his signing for Real Madrid only makes matters worse.

Winner: Marc Cucurella

World champion. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

A lot is being said about Spain’s defence in the World Cup, especially given that they conceded just one goal throughout the tournament. Marc Cucurella, Real Madrid’s new left-back signing, was the team’s starting left-back and an integral part of that line.

His individual campaign may not have stellar numbers, but Cucurella was integral defensively in all of Spain’s knockout clashes.

Further, the left-back pushed high in the final third to add width to the team in Nico Williams’ absence and did a flawless job in balancing his duties at both ends of the field.

Until the final, Cucurella was not dribbled past in any of Spain’s knockout clashes – a statistic that shows his defensive prowess. He ended the tournament with two assists and seven clean sheets, numbers that any defender would be proud of.

Further, he made a strong case to be Mourinho’s starting player at left-back.

Loser: Federico Valverde

Valverde was unable to lead by example. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)

As the captain and focal point of Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay, Valverde was the player who faced the most backlash after their shocking group stage elimination. 

His side failed to win a single game in the competition and concluded the group stages with two draws and a defeat, thereby becoming the highest-ranked nation to crash out in the group stage.

Valverde, on an individual level, did not do much to improve his team’s situation either and was as poor as the rest of his compatriots. He finished with no goals and no assists in 237 minutes and failed to hit the target in six out of seven attempted shots.

Neither did Valverde retain control in midfield for Uruguay, nor did he take up any creative responsibilities. He has been known to come up in clutch moments over the years but failed to deliver even once for his nation.

Heading back to the Spanish capital, the Real Madrid captain will undoubtedly look to begin on a fresh slate and come back stronger.