Now that the FIFA World Cup has come to an end, fans are once again turning their attentions to matters related to club football. Naturally, discourse surrounding arguably the biggest club in the world, Real Madrid, has been grabbing plenty of headlines.
Los Blancos endured an extremely tough 2025/26 season that saw them go trophyless for the second year in a row. For much of the early months of 2026, the players, management and fans were all rumoured to be extremely unhappy the situation surrounding the club. These tensions were eased slightly after several Real Madrid stars impressed in the World Cup.
Two of the team’s superstars who impressed the most in the Americas were striker Kylian Mbappe and midfielder Jude Bellingham. Both players helped their nations make it all the way to the semi-finals, but were ultimately left disappointed after suffering defeats to Spain and Argentina in the final-four, respectively.
Despite being two of Real Madrid’s most important players, rumors have claimed there is ongoing “beef” between Mbappe and Bellingham, which likely began early in the 2025/26 season.
The first factor that contributed to these claims was the fallout after manager Xabi Alonso left the club. While Mbappe criticised some of his teammates for not fully backing the coach, Bellingham was reportedly one of the leading voices that disagreed with Alonso’s methods in the dressing room.
As the team struggled for results in the second half of the season, the pair also reportedly had a heated conversation in the dressing room at some point in February. Bellingham, who is known for his relentless work rate, allegedly took issue with Mbappe’s lack of defensive involvement and questioned the Frenchman about the same.
Finally, more fuel was added to the fire as Mbappe and Bellingham seemingly avoided shaking hands with each other after the World Cup third-place play off game between France and England on July 18.
Naturally, such developments left Real Madrid fans extremely worried ahead of the new season, as two of the team’s best players not getting along is not exactly a recipe for success.
However, recent events will offer some relief. Both Kylian Mbappe and Jude Belligham are set to feature on Ultimate Edition cover for EA Sports’ flagship new title, FC 27. The game is set to release in late September, which means it is now time for the studio to wrap up all their media and licensing duties.
Images and videos of the two superstars spending time together on set has emerged on Thursday, and going by this evidence, it looks like any issues that existed between the pair in the past have well and truly been diffused.
Kylian Mbappé x Jude Bellingham. 😁🤍 pic.twitter.com/XTEQxDumg7
— Madrid Xtra (@MadridXtra) July 23, 2026
Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappé behind the scenes for the EAFC27 cover shoot. 🤍 pic.twitter.com/K5VDhsku7h
— TC (@totalcristiano) July 23, 2026
For Madridistas, the fact that they chose to spend time together on set is especially encouraging news, as EA Sports cover stars in the modern day and age are not necessarily required to be at the same place at the same time.
There have often been cases where stars from different clubs featured on the cover of past editions of FC (known formerly as FIFA). Due to contrasting schedules, they had their images taken at separate locations, only to have them edited together to create the game’s cover art.
For a club of Real Madrid’s stature, back-to-back years without any silverware are almost unheard off, and Los Blancos are under extreme pressure to get their act together next season. Fans will be hoping to see Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham perform well together and lead the team back to glory.
