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Ferland Mendy has been left out of Real Madrid's Champions League squad for the 2026–27 campaign, with the full-back appearing to be in his final days at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Mendy was the sole senior player at the club excluded from the 25-man List A submitted to UEFA this week, as José Mourinho chose instead to hand his spot to newly signed teenage prospect Sergio Martínez amid an emerging midfield crisis.
The 31-year-old has not played a single minute for Real Madrid this season as he continues his recovery from a serious hamstring injury sustained back in May, having managed just nine appearances throughout 2025–26 due to a string of fitness setbacks.
Mendy's most notable outing came when he played the full 90 minutes of the 4–3 Champions League quarterfinal second-leg loss to Bayern Munich in April, where he was selected ahead of Álvaro Carreras and Fran García at left back. Since that match, he has completed a full game for Los Blancos only once—a 1–1 stalemate against Real Betis.
Despite his contract running until the summer of 2028, Mendy is widely anticipated to leave Real Madrid once he regains fitness—either in the January window or next summer—as there appears to be no room for him in Mourinho's plans.
Mendy's Rise and Fall
Having joined from Lyon in 2019 for an initial fee of €48 million ($55.5 million), the French defender has racked up over 200 first-team appearances for Madrid and currently ranks among the club's longest-serving players—behind captain Federico Valverde and Thibaut Courtois.
The two-time Champions League champion was widely respected for his defensive qualities—even as his body increasingly let him down.
In 2024, following a particularly demanding encounter with the French international, Barcelona's Lamine Yamal singled out Mendy as the most difficult defender he had ever come up against.
"The fullback who has defended me best is Mendy," he told Radioestadio. "In the Spanish Super Cup final, Ferland Mendy was a tough challenge for me."
Across seven full seasons at the club, Mendy has missed a staggering 189 matches through injury—the bulk of which have occurred over the past two campaigns—prompting Los Blancos to gradually move forward without him.
Mourinho identified left back as a position requiring reinforcement this summer, with Marc Cucurella brought in from Chelsea for €55 million ($63 million). Mendy now finds himself third in the pecking order behind Álvaro Carreras.
Opportunity for Martínez
While Mendy is absent from the Champions League list, spots have been reserved for Éder Militão and Rodrygo, two other players currently sidelined with long-term injuries.
Meanwhile, new arrival Martínez has also been included in the club's List A, following his late transfer window move from Racing Santander.
The 19-year-old, who is expected to rotate between the first team and Castilla throughout the season, could even earn playing time this week as Madrid kick off their European campaign against Inter.
Eduardo Camavinga, Bernardo Silva and Arda Güler are all suspended for the league phase fixture at the Bernabéu on Tuesday, while Aurélien Tchouaméni and Thiago Pitarch are sidelined through injury, leaving Federico Valverde as the only specialist senior midfield option available.