Jude Bellingham scored the first goal of Jose Mourinho’s 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 Guler’s 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.

“I’m very confident that you’ll say it’s great when the three play together because they’re high-quality players, and I don’t think their positions are incompatible either.

“I’m very confident that we’re 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.