Real Madrid did not take long at all to replace Gonzalo Garcia after selling the young striker prospect to former manager Alvaro Arbeloa and Fulham, signing Carlos Espi for 25 million euros from Levante to be Kylian Mbappe's new backup No. 9 and a traditional striker profile with a 6'4" box presence for Jose Mourinho.
But what if Mourinho wants two strikers on the pitch? If Vinicius Junior goes to Arsenal, as many are speculating, that could make more two striker looks possible. Since Real Madrid do not have enough top center backs right now to have a back three, a 4-4-2 would make the most sense with a diamond. Here is how Real could line up in 2026/27 with both Mbappe and Espi in the XI.
GK Thibaut Courtois
LB Marc Cucurella
CB Eder Militao
CB Ibrahima Konate
RB Trent Alexander-Arnold
Trent Alexander-Arnold would be the most important player in a 4-4-2 with Mbappe and especially Espi in the starting lineup, as he is the best crosser of the ball and one of the best attacking fullbacks in the game. If Eder Militao is healthy, he is also a sure fire starter. Nothing really changes about the best back four whether it is a 4-3-3 or a 4-4-2 formation.
DM Rodri
LCM Jude Bellingham
RCM Fede Valverde
AM Arda Guler
So this is where things get a little bit more interesting, and while Rodri is not yet confirmed and Aurelien Tchouameni should get some starts as the No. 6 for Madrid next season, it is 90 percent certain that the Spanish superstar is coming to the Santiago Bernabeu. And Eduardo Camavinga will surely be leaving, too, not that he would be any real threat to start in a best XI.
The real strength of this midfield, aside from Rodri shielding the base and Arda Guler pulling the strings in the attack, is the flexibility and quality of the No. 8's. As a right footer on the right, Fede gets to focus on what he does best, which is ball progression as a dribbler. And on the left, Jude can almost cut in and interchange as another No. 10 or a scoring option who pairs with the strikers, in addition to shuttling the ball up and down actively like Fede on the opposite side.
LF Kylian Mbappe
RF Carlos Espi
Back when the 4-4-2 was in vogue around 20 years ago, the best striker pairings had a box presence combined with a player who was more of a dribbler. Carlos Espi and Kylian Mbappe actually fit really well on paper, because while Espi is a great athlete, too, he is more of the fox in the box and and the pure striker.
Mbappe loves to dribble and cut inside, and with another striker, he has more freedom to roam rather than having to stay in the six yard box, which is not a strength of his. He can drift out left, with Jude coming inside in the left half space and Guler as a left footer in the right half space, then cut inside and shoot while Espi stays in the box, taking advantage of crosses from Trent and Fede when the ball switches to the right after Jude and Mbappe overload the left.
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