VIDEO SHOWS: REAL MADRID SQUAD TRAINING, REMARKS BY REAL MADRID COACH XABI ALONSO SHOWS: RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT MADRID, SPAIN (OCTOBER 3, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 1. REAL MADRID PLAYERS TRAINING 2. FORWARD KYLIAN MBAPPE AND MIDFIELDER JUDE BELLINGHAM TRAINING 3. FORWARD VINICIUS JR (LEFT SIDE OF THE SCREEN) AND DEFENDER FERLAND MENDY TRAINING 4. VARIOUS OF PLAYERS TRAINING\ 5. MBAPPE TRAINING 6. BELLINGHAM AND VINICIUS JR TRAINING 7. PLAYERS TRAINING 8. VINICIUS JR AT SESSION 9. PLAYERS TRAINING 10. VARIOUS OF COACH XABI ALONSO AT NEWS CONFERENCE 11. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) REAL MADRID COACH XABI ALONSO AT NEWS CONFERENCE, SAYING: "He's ready for tomorrow, just like all of us are. We know the match and how important it is. We know how important Fede is for the team, and after the last two games, tomorrow we want to close this stretch with a win, with a good performance." 12. CAMERAMAN 13. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) REAL MADRID COACH XABI ALONSO AT NEWS CONFERENCE, SAYING: "I've spoken with Jude, Thomas Tuchel had already mentioned it to him, and well, it's a matter of time before he's back in the squad. I'm sure he'll be in the next one and with us as well. After the injury, Jude is getting better little by little and is eager to play and contribute. Jude is a fundamental player." 14. NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS 15. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) REAL MADRID COACH XABI ALONSO AT NEWS CONFERENCE, SAYING: "How to get the ball to Jude is, for me, always very, very important. How to get the ball to the No. 10 position. Arda has been able to play as a 10 and a little further back. Maybe not so much in the league right now, more at the World Cup, but he can do it. So it's about them finding their places. They need to flow, find each other, feel comfortable and Jude and Arda can do that." 16. NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS 17. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) REAL MADRID COACH XABI ALONSO AT NEWS CONFERENCE, SAYING: "How do I want us to react? By playing well, playing with intensity, playing with quality, playing as a team. So no, I'm not asking for anything (to fans); it's on us to deliver. We must always be proactive with our play because we know that's the best way for people to enjoy it, and that's what we want. And to win the match, of course." 18. CAMERAMAN 19. ALONSO LEAVING NEWS CONFERENCE ROOM STORY: Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso turned master of evasion on Friday (October 3), sidestepping questions about Federico Valverde's benching with the skill of a seasoned politician ahead of Saturday's clash with third-placed Villarreal. The brief press conference saw Alonso as a man of few words, dodging inquiries about his decision to bench the Uruguayan midfielder in Tuesday's Champions League win at Kairat Almaty, where Kylian Mbappe's hat-trick in a 5-0 victory was overshadowed by swirling controversy around one of the team's captains. Valverde had taken to social media to strongly deny suggestions of a rift with Alonso, insisting he has always given "everything and more" for the club, even while playing through injuries, after reports claimed he had refused to play as a right back. Valverde, who is one of Real Madrid's captains, is expected to be in contention for Saturday's match, with Alonso saying: "He is ready for tomorrow, like everyone else. We know how important it is and we want to end this stretch (run of games before the international break) with a victory." Alonso also spoke about Thomas Tuchel's decision to leave Bellingham out of the England squad, due to a lack of pitch time for the 22-year-old as he recovers from a shoulder injury. The coach said Bellingham is recovering his peak form and backed him to return to international duty sooner rather than later. The match against Villarreal will be Real Madrid's first league game since their humiliating 5-2 loss to local rivals Atletico Madrid in the Spanish capital derby last weekend. (Production: Guillermo Martinez, Silvio Castellanos, Fernando Kallas)
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