After winning their first three matches of the 2026/27 La Liga season to triumphantly begin Jose Mourinho's return to the manager's chair, Real Madrid were left humbled by Real Betis, losing 1-0 once again at the Benito Villamarin. Here were the stars and flops from the match.
Flop: CM Fede Valverde
Fede Valverde was the worst player on the pitch, and it's not even close. He did absolutely nothing for Real Madrid and was one of the biggest reasons why they lost. He created no chances, barely did anything on the ball, could not progress play, and was mediocre defensively. Fede is lagging behind the other stars and looks like a player Jose Mourinho may look to discard if he doesn't rebound.
Flop: CM Eduardo Camavinga
After a strong performance last weekend in the 4-0 win over Malaga, Camavinga came crashing back down to earth on Friday night vs. Betis. Cama was a tremendous liability on the ball and did not even win back possession once for his team, which is the only real way he is an asset to Real Madrid.
Star: AM Jude Bellingham
It was not Jude Bellingham's finest performance by any means, but the England international still played well, passing the ball effectively and creating chances for his teammates.
Flop: CB Ibrahima Konate
Ibrahima Konate was not terrible, but he was underwhelming, failing to mark the Real Betis strikers as tightly as he does. The former Liverpool man needs to be more proactive at winning the ball for his team.
Star: RW Arda Guler
With seven chances created, Arda Guler was, by far and away, the best player on Real Madrid in this game and just put himself slightly above Jude in the Player of the Season race in Madrid.
Flop: ST Kylian Mbappe
Kylian Mbappe wasted a penalty and a lot of great chances to win this game for his team. The Frenchman won a lot of dribbles, but he also lost the ball a lot, too, His end product has to be more consistent, because when he is off, Real Madrid don't score.
Flop: RB Denzel Dumfries
Denzel Dumfries should not be starting over Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Jose Mourinho paid badly for his mistake vs. Betis.
Star: LW Vinicius Junior
Vinicius Junior gets too much hate. He was the most effective wide player for Real Madrid in terms of progression of the ball and chance creation with four key passes and six combined dribbles completed and fouls drawn per game. Without him, Real would have been crushed by more.
Flop: LB Marc Cucurella
Real Madrid are not seeing the best of Marc Cucurella yet. The Spanish international was thoroughly disappointing against Real Betis, doing nothing to progress play offensively while looking like a caricature cutout defensively.
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