![[Subscription Customers Only] Jun 18, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Real Madrid CF forward Vinicius Junior (7) and midfielder Jude Bellingham (5) before a group stage match of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Hannah Mckay-Reuters via Imagn Images](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_202,w_4633,h_2606/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/384/01kgmrr6faf4jtfxpp0b.jpg "[Subscription Customers Only] Jun 18, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Real Madrid CF forward Vinicius Junior (7) and midfielder Jude Bellingham (5) before a group stage match of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Hannah Mckay-Reuters via Imagn Images")
When Kylian Mbappe was announced as a Real Madrid signing in July of 2024, the whole world expected the La Liga giants to be an unstoppable force in Europe. Adding the Frenchman to the then-defending European champions, and a team with an attack firing on all cylinders, it seemed like the old school Galacticos era was back.
Unfortunately, this didn't go according to plan. Having many superstars in one team can be dangerous, especially when they're all in the starting lineup trying to occupy the same space on the pitch. The season before Mbappe's arrival, Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham were the main goalscorers in attack, with both bagging well over 20 goals, finding an incredible chemistry together.
But with Mbappe now in the team, he is clearly the main man in attack and the main outlet for goals, and Bellingham and Vinicius have struggled to adjust to the new status quo. As a result, the attack has struggled to gel and find consistency, and that has been one of Real's Achilles' heels this season and last. Something dramatic needs to change for the team to get back to its best form, and one ESPN correspondent calls for that drastic change.
Real Madrid correspondent thinks Vinicius or Bellingham must be sold
ESPN's Real Madrid correspondent Alex Kirkland believes that the club needs to break up their star trio if they hope to find success in the future, suggesting that getting rid of either Vinicius Jr. or Bellingham would make the most sense, with him pointing to Vinicius Jr being the one to go. He went on to say:
"I'm not entirely convinced that a side with Kylian Mbappe, Vini Jr and Bellingham in it can function consistently well."
While this may sound overly dramatic, it's an uncomfortable truth Madridistas must accept. The lack of chemistry among the three is evident, and trying to force them all onto the same team, hoping it clicks one day, is starting to seem like a lost cause. Change is needed, and selling one of the three would be the best option.
The club obviously won't be selling Mbappe, so that leaves Vinicius or Bellingham, with the Brazilian winger being the most likely option for sale. The 25-year-old only has one year left on his contract and can be viewed as the culprit for a number of the issues at the Estadio Bernabeu this season.
It would be in the club's interest to get the drama queen out for the betterment of the team as a whole. So while Kirkland's claims sound overly dramatic, he's spot on and it's something that all fans need to come to grips with that the big three can't play together in the same team.