Jude Bellingham scored the first goal of Jose Mourinhos second spell as Real Madrid coach as he headed them into a 1-0 lead at Espanyol in their LaLiga opener. Mourinho was brought back by Madrid president Florentino Perez 13 years after his departure from the club, with the Portuguese tasked with turning things around after a tumultuous and trophy-less 2025-26 season.And it did not take long for Madrid to make a flying start to life under Mourinho, with Bellingham carrying on where he left off for England at the World Cup.Bellingham met Arda Gulers left-wing free-kick with a fine header, which had enough power to just beat the outstretched arm of Espanyol goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic.Prior to the opening game, Mourinho had said of playing Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior together: After the tactical adjustments, it might be a little bit more difficult.Im very confident that youll say its great when the three play together because theyre high-quality players, and I dont think their positions are incompatible either.Im very confident that were going to have a great season with them.But all three were included from the off against Espanyol and, having seen Bellingham and Mbappe wheel away in celebrations just 10 minutes into the second Mourinho era, Madrid fans could be forgiven for having more confidence he can make it work. Topics LaLiga RCD Espanyol Real Madrid CF Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read LIVE Espanyol v Real Madrid: Commentary, updates, goals and stats as Mourinho returns to La Liga Jon Fisher 21st August, 2026 Espanyol v Real Madrid: Confirmed line-ups for Mourinhos return to LaLiga Nicholas McGee 22nd August, 2026 Gouiri at the double as Marseille hammer 10-man Strasbourg Nicholas McGee 21st August, 2026 Espanyol v Real Madrid: Preview, expected line-ups, stats and where to watch Jon Fisher 21st August, 2026 Barcelona confirm permanent Cancelo transfer Nicholas McGee 20th August, 2026 Mourinho: I would not want Lamine Yamal at Real Madrid Jon Fisher 20th August, 2026
