The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 has already started. Real Madrid is not only the most successful team in Europe, but they are also the favourites to lift another international trophy in what has already become an absurdly crowded trophy cabinet. With a new manager at the helm in club legend Xabi Alonso, Real Madrid boasts an exceptionally talented and deep squad, and they will undoubtedly have the sports world’s eye on them as they seek more glory on the global stage.
Here at 96.com, we break down the five Real Madrid players to watch in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, and these players who could impact the tournament with their excellence and form.
1. Jude Bellingham
The Englishman Bellingham continues to be among the best midfielders and footballers in the world. At just 21 years of age, he has been the pulse of Real Madrid since arriving at the club. He possesses an unrivalled energy and maturity, while seemingly always appearing calm and composed, never rushed.
As of the 2024-25 La Liga season, Bellingham has made 31 appearances and scored 9 goals and recorded 8 assists. At the Club World Cup, expect Bellingham to drift into central midfield and dictate the speed of play, connecting defence to offence with ease and calmness while under duress.
2. Vinícius Júnior
The Brazilian is already one of the most feared wingers in the world game today. His pace, quickness of feet, and fearlessness make him a nightmare for defenders. In La Liga, Vinícius has 11 goals and 8 assists in 30 appearances in 2024-25. With the 19 goal contributions off, Vini has delivered consistent attacking numbers this season.
Additionally, the 24-year-old Vinícius is starting to build chemistry with Kylian Mbappé, which helps add another leg of danger to the Madrid attack. As always, Vinícius will try to stretch defences, create one-on-one situations, and provide goals and assists from the left side.
3. Kylian Mbappé
The golden boot winner of 2024-2025, Kylian Mbappé’s arrival in Real Madrid’s already potent attacking lineup received an upgrade in talent at the front. Mbappé’s performances at the club level have reached an astonishing level in many matchups, plentiful with hype since his move. In La Liga alone, Mbappé has played in 34 matches, scored 31 goals, and assisted 3 times.
Mbappé has already claimed the Pichichi Trophy, the European Golden Boot, and broken Alfredo Di Stéfano’s record for the most goals in the league by a debutant in club history. We expect his presence will be a huge boost for Real Madrid while representing them, and we anticipate he will be the focal point of their attack moving forward.
4. Trent Alexander-Arnold
While Trent Alexander-Arnold has not yet pulled on his boots for Real Madrid, he could end up becoming the most-watched player in the squad as he moves from Liverpool. The 26-year-old right-back has world-class vision, ability, distribution, and set-piece delivery. The statistics show Alexander-Arnold played 28 times for Liverpool in the 2024-25 season, and scored 3 goals and 4 assists.
Alexander-Arnold will give Xabi Alonso tactical flexibility and positional play on the right flank, ultimately allowing for tactical fluidity.
5. Arda Güler
The Turkish playmaker is just 19 years old, but there have been flashes of magic already, playing for Real Madrid. The young midfielder Guler has exceptional technical skills, vision and comfort in tight spaces. He has featured in 28 games across all competitions this season, scoring 14 goals and assisting 7 times. In La Liga, he has scored 3 goals and assisted 4 times in 14 games, most of that as a substitute.
Tactical Vision under Xabi Alonso
The 43-year-old Xabi Alonso has brought a different dimension to Real Madrid’s tactics. He very frequently fluctuates from 4-3-3, to 4-4-2, to much more modern structures with 3-at-the-back; what former Spainard will utilise is intelligent movement, efficient transitions, and positional discipline in all situations.
The combination of these five players, Bellingham to facilitate play, Vinícius and Mbappé to occupy frantic forward gameplay, Alexander-Arnold specifically for build-up situations, and Güler for the kind of off-the-cuff randomness fit Alonso’s schemes nicely. The success of Madrid in the upcoming season will depend largely on their capacity to adapt and express themselves within a range of systems.
Conclusion
With youth, experience, and individual quality at their disposal, Real Madrid are in an excellent position to demonstrate their quality at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. Whether it is Mbappé’s goal scoring ability, Bellingham’s pass quality and intelligence in midfield or flashes of brilliance from Güler, they will be leading the way with these five players. If they achieve their top levels, there is no doubt that Real Madrid could again be crowned world champions and, in doing so, announce the next generation of footballing genius from the Santiago Bernabéu.
As usual, Register96 will be paying special attention to these five players in their quest to do something unique at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.
