Real Madrid completed their preparations for Valencia on Friday, with recovery work taking priority after Wednesday’s win in Athens. Vinícius Júnior, who remains suspended in LaLiga, was given a day off as Mourinho manages his squad’s workload before the international break. Elsewhere, MARCA reports a new contract for academy midfielder Diego Lacosta, while China’s ambassador to Spain has discussed the continuing efforts to resolve the dispute surrounding Kylian Mbappé’s comments.
Mourinho gives Vinícius a rest before the international break
Vinícius Júnior
did not train with the group at Valdebebas on Friday after Mourinho granted him a day off. The Brazilian is unavailable for Saturday’s match against Valencia at Mestalla, where Madrid kick off at 9 p.m. Madrid time, and will subsequently join his national team for the November international window.
The decision comes during a short turnaround between Madrid’s Champions League win over AEK Athens and their return to domestic competition. Friday’s session reflected those demands: the players who started in Greece completed specific recovery work, while the remainder of the available squad carried out physical and tactical exercises before playing small-sided matches. Raúl Asencio and Rodrygo continued their rehabilitation programs.
Asked about balancing Vinícius’ need for playing time with the team’s performances, Mourinho emphasized that collective requirements would determine his decisions.
“For me, the most important thing is the team. I have never, of my own volition, wanted to harm the team to benefit a player. Vinicius played in the last two Champions League matches, yes. But when he returns to normal and is available, I will manage his situation. As a coach, I don’t think game by game; I also think about the sequence of matches we have.”
Mourinho also indicated that Ibrahima Konaté and Dean Huijsen would return to the starting lineup at Mestalla after Éder Militão and Antonio Rüdiger played in Athens. The coach described the changes as part of his efforts to distribute minutes across the squad during a demanding sequence of fixtures.
MARCA: Madrid renew Diego Lacosta’s contract
Real Madrid have renewed Diego Lacosta’s contract, according to MARCA, securing the future of an 18-year-old midfielder whose progress has taken him through several levels of the academy and into first-team preseason training.
The report describes Lacosta as a player whose physical range, stamina and ability to advance from midfield have prompted comparisons with Fede Valverde. Those comparisons concern his playing characteristics: covering ground, carrying the ball forward, supporting attacks and contributing across midfield.
Born in Zaragoza, Lacosta joined Madrid’s academy in 2020 and has become an important player for Real Madrid C. His development has also brought opportunities further up the structure. MARCA reports that he travelled with Mourinho’s squad for three summer friendlies and played against Fiorentina and Ferencváros.
His renewal follows a successful period with Álvaro López’s youth side, including the Youth League, league championship, Copa de Campeones and Under-20 Intercontinental Cup. He also featured for Castilla in the Premier League International Cup, part of a year in which he represented four different academy teams.
Lacosta added another contribution this week by opening the scoring in Madrid’s Youth League victory over AEK Athens. Away from football, MARCA reports that he continues his studies in business administration and finance, with his family regularly travelling from Zaragoza to watch him play.
Aguirre: “Mbappé has an unstoppable one-on-one ability”
Javier Aguirre believes Valencia will need a near-perfect performance to beat Madrid, but insists his team will approach Saturday’s match with the intention of winning. Speaking before the game, the Valencia coach praised Mourinho and identified Mbappé’s ability to create separation from defenders as a central challenge.
“Mbappé is a player I’m not going to discover now. He’s unstoppable in one-on-one situations, but we have eleven players and we’ll try to neutralize the entire Real Madrid team. We’ll try to make sure he and everyone else isn’t comfortable, and that he can’t unleash his speed, his spectacular play, and his finishing. I’m not saying anything we don’t all already know in this room.”
Aguirre wants Mestalla’s atmosphere to help his players, while making clear that the team must give supporters something to respond to.
“I imagine a Mestalla that’s intimidating, like when I used to play away and thought it was going to be a long night. I expect a Mestalla that will be full of energy and support for their team. We have to respond to them and make sure the fans don’t see a listless team; we need to be eager to play and full of energy.”
Asked whether Valencia had become more comfortable away from home, Aguirre rejected that suggestion.
“We’re not more comfortable playing away. We’re very comfortable playing at home. We need to play a perfect game to beat Real Madrid. Winning at home is always important because you’re playing in front of your fans.”
Respect for Mourinho—and no discussion of referees
Aguirre spoke warmly about his relationship with Mourinho, describing the Madrid coach as a longtime friend.
“I’ve known him for many years. He’s a great friend and a good coach. I have nothing but kind words for him. He deserves all my respect. I’ll be happy with anything he says.”
He also accepted Mourinho’s concerns about the limited recovery time following Madrid’s European fixture.
“José is very sincere. He tells you what he feels, and what he says is true. Everyone has their own style, and I respect José a lot. We have a great chance of achieving great results. We’re in the league.”
Aguirre declined to engage with questions about Madrid’s refereeing complaints, saying: “I’m not going to answer you because you’re getting me into a big mess.” There was a lighter response when he was asked which Madrid player he would remove from the opposing lineup if given the opportunity.
“I would remove all eleven, but I don’t have that power.”
Mestalla will remember Jesús de Miguel
Valencia have announced a series of tributes to Jesús de Miguel, the Tenerife striker who died this week, during Saturday’s match against Real Madrid. The gestures form part of the commemorations taking place across Spanish professional football.
The CD Tenerife flag will fly at half-mast at Mestalla from Saturday until the conclusion of the matchday. Players from both teams will enter the pitch in an interspersed procession wearing commemorative shirts, with flowers also brought onto the field in the forward’s memory.
A minute’s silence will be observed before kick-off. Play will also stop in the ninth minute, reflecting the shirt number De Miguel wore. Valencia extended its condolences to his family, friends, teammates and everyone at Tenerife.
China’s ambassador: “There are no negotiations, but there is communication”
China’s ambassador to Spain, Yao Jing, says discussions are continuing with LaLiga, Real Madrid and other Spanish institutions following the controversy surrounding Mbappé’s remarks. Speaking to EFE before an event at the University of Salamanca, he distinguished the ongoing contact from formal negotiations.
“There are no negotiations, but there is communication, based on mutual understanding,” Yao said.
“This unfortunate accident has hurt the feelings of many people in China, who have to come to terms with the current situation,” he added, expressing confidence that the issue could be resolved through “interactions based on mutual respect.”
The update comes after Mbappé and Madrid apologized for the comments and Chinese state broadcaster CCTV suspended its LaLiga coverage. Although the broadcaster and the ambassador have acknowledged the apologies, no date for resuming broadcasts has been announced.
Xie Tianyu, an embassy attaché accompanying Yao, said more time was needed.
“There is not enough time, the Chinese people need time to digest this, it is not an easy issue for the Chinese people, and it is a club that has had many followers and much love in China.”
Honduras president discusses infrastructure and football academies with Pérez
Honduran president Nasry “Tito” Asfura has invited Florentino Pérez to visit Honduras to explore potential infrastructure investment. According to EFE, citing a statement from the Honduran presidency, the invitation came during Asfura’s visit to Spain for the XXX Ibero-American Summit.
“I invited him to come to Honduras. We talked about construction, because Honduras has quite a few road construction projects and other works, and we discussed whether he was interested in investing in Honduras,” Asfura said.
The meeting also covered football development and the possibility of expanding academy programs linked to Madrid. Asfura and Pérez discussed potential cooperation from 2027, involving Madrid and a Honduran company, but no investment commitment was confirmed.
Asfura described the meeting as a positive experience and praised the Bernabéu’s redevelopment. The two exchanged shirts, and the Honduran president also received one signed by Mbappé. The discussions remain exploratory rather than an announcement of a new infrastructure investment or academy agreement.
Bijan Robinson offers Vinícius support ahead of Madrid visit
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson plans to meet privately with Vinícius Júnior and Mbappé while in Madrid for Sunday’s NFL game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Speaking on Thursday, Robinson offered advice for Vinícius as the forward works through a difficult period.
“I’ll tell Vinícius, just stay the course. Don’t worry about external noise, because once that creeps in, then you start to listen to it, and you start to believe what people have to say about you,” Robinson said.
“So I would say just stay off of any social media, and just little stuff like that, and just trust that God’s plan for his career is going to be amazing no matter what the situation is.”
Robinson emphasized that difficult stretches are part of an athlete’s career and that responding through daily work is more important than reacting to criticism.
“If you have an up-and-down or a low or something like that, we all have those moments and we all had those weeks. But for him, it’s just making sure that he’s doing all the things that he’s supposed to for his team and doing that at a high level. So when his number is called, it’s not a hesitation to do what he does best on the pitch.”
Robinson has known Vinícius for several years and recently met Mbappé at the French national team’s headquarters during an NFL promotional event. The players tried each other’s sports, with Mbappé wearing pads and a helmet before Robinson took his turn with a football.
Video: Madrid’s players celebrate Valverde after his goal
Footage from the end of Madrid’s victory over AEK Athens shows the squad acknowledging Fede Valverde following his goal. A gesture involving Brahim Díaz is at the centre of the clip, offering another look at the players’ celebrations after the final whistle:
Managing Madrid Podcast: Reflecting on the win over AEK Athens
Kiyan Sobhani and Don Amancio revisit Real Madrid’s victory over AEK Athens on the latest episode of the Managing Madrid Podcast, examining why the match proved difficult and what Madrid’s ability to deliver in decisive moments says about the season so far.
The discussion covers Marc Cucurella and Eduardo Camavinga’s performances, Bernardo Silva’s positioning, and misconceptions surrounding Jude Bellingham’s role. Kiyan and Don also assess the right-back situation, including Denzel Dumfries’ struggles and the case for Trent Alexander-Arnold to move ahead of him.
Elsewhere, the episode compares Madrid’s start with previous seasons, considers the difficulties encountered when rotating the lineup, and examines Mbappé’s conversion rate alongside some remarkable Cristiano Ronaldo numbers. There is also discussion of potential returns for Nico Paz and Jacobo, and how Mourinho might manage Vinícius’ situation once he is available again in LaLiga.
