Madrid, 27 August (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Real Madrid player ratings underline the contrast between an uncertain first half and a ruthless second as José Mourinho’s side beat Real Sociedad 4-1 at the Bernabéu. Kylian Mbappé scored a hat-trick, while Vinícius Júnior added Madrid’s other goal after Luka Sučić had briefly brought the visitors level.
Mbappé’s finishing hides a difficult opening
Madrid eventually won comfortably, but the scoreline does not tell the full story. Real Sociedad created opportunities before the interval, while Mourinho’s team struggled to impose consistent control and were vulnerable when possession broke down.
Mbappé opened the scoring in the 40th minute after Federico Valverde carried the ball forward and found the Frenchman. Sučić responded four minutes later, converting a rebound to send the teams into half-time level at 1-1.
Mbappé earns 10/10 after turning a potentially difficult home opener into a convincing victory. His movement and finishing separated the teams when Madrid needed an attacking reference point most.
Bellingham drives the decisive second-half shift
Jude Bellingham earns 9/10 after playing a central role in Madrid’s transformation. His quick exchange with Mbappé created the second goal in the 60th minute before he won possession and supplied Vinícius for the third eight minutes later.
Vinícius receives 8.5/10, combining his goal with an outstanding assist for Mbappé’s third. Valverde and Arda Güler earn 8/10 for their midfield contribution, while Bernardo is rated 7/10.
The second-half improvement was important because Madrid’s opening league victory at Espanyol had also required a late intervention, with substitute Carlo Espí scoring the winner in a 2-1 result.
Defensive warning remains despite emphatic scoreline
Dean Huijsen earns 8/10, while Ibrahima Konaté receives 7.5/10. Thibaut Courtois is rated 7/10, with Denzel Dumfries also on 7/10 and Álvaro Carreras receiving 6.5/10.
Those Real Madrid player ratings reflect a defence that improved as the game progressed but was not always secure. Real Sociedad threatened through Mikel Oyarzabal and Sergio Gómez before Sučić’s equaliser, demonstrating how quickly Madrid could be exposed.
For Mourinho, preventing those openings will be particularly important against opponents capable of punishing turnovers more efficiently.
Mourinho has an attacking platform but work remains
Mourinho earns 8.5/10 for the response after the interval. Reuters reported that Madrid were jeered during parts of the first half before producing a much stronger second-half performance. The manager later praised how his players responded to the pressure.
The encouraging sign is Madrid’s attacking ceiling. Mbappé, Bellingham and Vinícius combined repeatedly once space emerged, culminating in Mbappé completing his hat-trick in the 80th minute from Vinícius’s pass.
Early victories raise expectations for what comes next
Madrid have now won their opening two league matches, following the 2-1 victory over Espanyol with a far more emphatic home result.
The immediate challenge is therefore not finding goals but producing the same level of control throughout matches. If Mourinho can reduce Madrid’s vulnerability during uneven periods while maintaining the attacking combinations seen after half-time, the early signs suggest he has a powerful platform to build on.
For now, Mbappé is setting the standard — but Madrid’s first-half difficulties show why individual brilliance cannot be the only answer over a full LaLiga campaign.
