Real Madrid Squad for Pre-Season in Budapest

Real Madrid travel without record signing Yan Diomande as José Mourinho trims his squad for the second pre-season outing in Budapest, leaving the club’s newest arrival to watch his potential debut drift a little further down the calendar.

Diomande made to wait

Barely a day after Real Madrid officially unveiled the Ivorian winger, completed his welcome to the Spanish capital and ran him through an initial session at Valdebebas, Diomande finds himself out of the travelling party. No injury, no tactical snub – just paperwork.

As reported by Spanish newspaper Marca, Diomande skipped the final morning training session before the trip to finalise the administrative details of his transfer. While his new teammates boarded the flight at 4pm for the Hungarian capital, the club’s most expensive signing stayed behind, missing what would have been his first call-up.

He had been expected to follow the example of Carlos Espí, who joined the group almost the moment he landed last week and immediately made himself available. Mourinho, though, has gone the other way with Diomande, choosing caution and giving the winger extra time to settle and prepare before throwing him into match action.

Star power returns

If Diomande is the headline absentee, the names on the list more than compensate for the lack of debut intrigue.

Vinícius Júnior, Bernardo Silva and Brahim Díaz all make the squad for the clash with Ferencváros at the Groupama Arena on Saturday. Each only linked up with the team this week, each now in line for their first minutes of this pre-season.

The spotlight will inevitably fall on Vinícius Júnior. This is set to be his first appearance since signing his new contract that ties him to Real Madrid until 2032, a renewal that underlines his status as the club’s attacking reference point for the next decade. Budapest could offer the first glimpse of what that long-term commitment looks like on the pitch.

Bernardo Silva’s inclusion adds a different note. The Portuguese playmaker, one of the most technically gifted midfielders of his generation, steps into a squad already rich with ball players. A pre-season night in Hungary becomes a useful laboratory for Mourinho as he begins to sketch out how Bernardo fits alongside the likes of Federico Valverde and Eduardo Camavinga.

Brahim Díaz, fresh from his own return to the group, gives Mourinho another flexible option between the lines and out wide, an asset in a summer where tactical experiments will be relentless.

Defensive boost, with one caveat

At the back, there is a quiet but significant boost. Dean Huijsen returns to the squad after a muscle injury that had kept him out and is now training again with the group. For a defence still short of full fitness, that matters.

Antonio Rüdiger is named in the travelling party but is still working his way towards top condition. His presence offers leadership and experience, even if Mourinho chooses to manage his minutes carefully.

Alongside them, the defensive group features Juan Martínez, Lamine Fati, Mario Rivas, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Denzel Dumfries and Álvaro Carreras, giving Mourinho a broad palette of profiles to test – from attacking full-backs to more conservative options.

The travelling squad

Real Madrid’s squad for the meeting with Ferencváros in Budapest:

Goalkeepers: Andriy Lunin, Mestre, Navarro.

Defenders: Dean Huijsen, Juan Martínez, Antonio Rüdiger, Lamine Fati, Mario Rivas, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Denzel Dumfries, Álvaro Carreras.

Midfielders: Arda Güler, Federico Valverde, Bernardo Silva, Eduardo Camavinga, Sистero, Lacosta, Cirilla.

Forwards: Brahim Díaz, Vinícius Júnior, Yáñez, Endrick, Carlos Espí.

For now, Diomande’s story at Real Madrid pauses on the tarmac. The real beginning will have to wait for another city, another night, and a first touch that already feels a little more anticipated.