Jude Bellingham returns to Real Madrid training but misses Deportivo friendly

Jude Bellingham has returned to Real Madrid training after his post-World Cup break, but he will not feature in Wednesday evening’s friendly against Deportivo de La Coruna.

The England midfielder took part in his first pre-season session with the Spanish club on Wednesday, completing the return of Real Madrid’s World Cup players to training for the first time.

However, Bellingham is one of four players unavailable for the meeting with Deportivo de La Coruna. Ibrahima Konate, Marc Cucurella and Kylian Mbappe will also miss the fixture as Real Madrid continue their preparations for the new campaign under manager Jose Mourinho.

Konate and Cucurella made their first appearances in training for Real Madrid on Monday. Mbappe also joined the squad that day after taking time away from the club following his involvement in the World Cup.

Konate arrived at Real Madrid this summer after his contract with Liverpool expired. Cucurella joined the club from Chelsea, while Mbappe had also been absent from the early part of pre-season because of his World Cup commitments.

Bellingham’s return means the full group of Real Madrid players involved in the tournament has now reported for duty. His participation in training does not, however, make him available for the friendly against Deportivo, with all four players still being left out of the match.

Real Madrid began their preparations for the 2026-27 season several weeks ago, with Mourinho overseeing the team’s work ahead of the new campaign. The club’s pre-season programme includes Wednesday’s game against Deportivo de La Coruna, although Bellingham, Konate, Cucurella and Mbappe will not take part.

The 2026-27 La Liga season is scheduled to begin on 15 August, leaving Real Madrid with limited time to complete their preparations after the return of their international players.

Bellingham’s arrival at training is therefore an important step in bringing the squad together before the domestic campaign begins, even though the England international will have to wait for a later fixture to make his first appearance of the new season. Real Madrid’s latest additions are also continuing the process of integrating into Mourinho’s squad, with Konate and Cucurella having only trained with their new team for the first time on Monday.

The friendly with Deportivo will take place on Wednesday evening, while the focus for Real Madrid remains on building towards the start of La Liga on 15 August.