16 Real Madrid players called up for FIFA break

Real Madrid face another FIFA break with 16 players called up by their national teams, as Mundo Deportivo reports. The window runs from this Monday to October 6, meaning Jose Mourinho will have just seven first-team players available at Valdebebas.

What it means for training

In goal, Thibaut Courtois has already said he will skip the Nations League to focus on his recovery. Andrey Lunin has not been called up, so he is expected to stay and work with the club.

In defence, Rüdiger remains in Madrid after telling the press that the World Cup was his last call-up with Germany, and neither Raúl Asencio nor Álvaro Carreras will travel with Spain.

The most notable call-ups

Mundo Deportivo highlights Luis de la Fuente’s selections for Marc Cucurella and Dean Huijsen, while Trent Alexander-Arnold returns with England alongside Jude Bellingham.

Denzel Dumfries has been picked by Xavi Hernández for the first Nations League matchdays with the Netherlands. For France, Zinedine Zidane’s first call-up includes Camavinga and Mbappé, but Aurelien Tchouaméni won’t be part of it. The outlet says the French coach agreed not to include him so he can complete, in Mourinho’s words, the preseason he missed due to the injury he carried from the World Cup.

More travel and injury absences

Other absences include Fede Valverde (Uruguay tour in Asia), Bernardo Silva and Arda Güler (Portugal and Turkey), Brahim Díaz (Morocco), Yan Diomande (Ivory Coast) and Carlos Espí with Spain Under-21.

Mundo Deportivo also notes the long trips for Brazil: Endrick and Vinícius have been called by Carlo Ancelotti for friendlies against Australia in Townsville and Brisbane and against India in Kolkata. Finally, the club will not have Éder Militão and Rodrygo, nor Ferland Mendy, all due to long-term injury recovery processes.