Ferland Mendy Left Out of Real Madrid's Champions League Squad

Ferland Mendy has taken a heavy blow in his bid to regain full status at Real Madrid, left out of the club’s Champions League squad for the new league phase. The French defender, still working back from the injury that cut short his previous campaign, does not appear on the official UEFA list submitted by the club.

His omission lands just as Jose Mourinho signs off on his European plans ahead of next week’s opener at the Santiago Bernabeu against Inter Milan. The stadium will be full, the lights will be on, and Mendy will not be involved.

Mendy out, Militao and Rodrygo in

The call on Mendy is stark. He misses out completely.

Yet Mourinho has taken a different approach with other long-term absentees. Eder Militao and Rodrygo both make the cut, included alongside the rest of the first-team core. Their presence underlines a clear message from the technical staff: they are prepared to carry certain injured players, but only those they believe can realistically contribute during the campaign.

It is a calculated gamble, a balancing act between protecting the squad’s future options and not wasting precious spots in a season that will stretch every resource.

Youth ranks bulk up List B

List A brings few shocks. The intrigue lies in List B.

Real Madrid have loaded it with fresh faces from Castilla, a clear sign that Mourinho and his staff expect to lean on the academy when the schedule bites. Eleven youth players are registered, headlined by new signing Sergio Martinez, who has been handed the number 38 shirt.

Goalkeepers Sergio Mestre and Javi Navarro are among those promoted, offering extra security behind the established names. In defence, youngsters such as Fortea and Joan Martinez step into the European frame, ready to serve as emergency cover or surprise options if opportunity knocks.

These names may sit in the background for now, but they give the squad a different kind of depth: hungry, untested, and eager to seize any minute they get.

Domestic pressure and a sidelined Mendy

With the Champions League list now locked, Real Madrid turn immediately back to domestic tension. Mourinho’s side are preparing for a demanding clash with Real Betis at La Cartuja, a fixture that arrives with little margin for error.

Sergio Martinez is already tasting the senior environment, earning call-ups as the coaching staff test how quickly he can adapt to the top level. For some, this is the start of an unexpected European and domestic journey.

For Mendy, it is the opposite. He faces weeks of watching from the stands, his focus narrowed to rehabilitation and the long road back.

The Champions League will move on without him. The question now is whether he can force his way back into that conversation before this European campaign runs away from him entirely.