Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Sevilla: Sensational Diomande Erases Vinicius Jr

Real Madrid cruised to a 4–1 victory over Sevilla on Sunday, powered by wondrous goals from Arda Güler, Kylian Mbappé and Yan Diomande.

José Mourinho ripped up his playbook for the La Liga clash, starting Endrick on the right wing, Federico Valverde at right back and Güler alongside Aurélien Tchouaméni in a midfield double pivot. Diomande also got the nod, taking the place of the suspended Vinícius Júnior on the left wing.

The Portuguese boss was cool, calm and collected as he watched his changes pay off. Güler curled home a stunning left-footed strike over Sevilla keeper Odysseas Vlachodimos to give the hosts a 1–0 lead in the 30th minute.

Then Kylian Mbappé left the Bernabéu in awe after he received a backheel pass from Jude Bellingham. The Frenchman did a 360-degree turn to burn his first marker along the edge of the box, drove forward past another red shirt and took one clever touch to round the keeper before finding the back of the net in the 37th minute.

Mbappé made it 3–0 with a successful penalty after the restart, but had to offer apologizes to his backline and goalkeeper for losing possession that allowed Manu Bueno to pull one back for Sevilla. Spirits were soon lifted again when Diomande unleashed a rocket to restore Real Madrid’s three-goal lead.

It was exactly the win Los Blancos needed with El Clásico looming next weekend.

Winners and Losers

Winners

The pressure was on Yan Diomande ahead of Sunday’s clash. The teenager took over Vinícius Jr’s left wing and made sure his team did not miss the No. 7. Diomande was bright from the opening whistle and had an assist to his name by the half-hour mark. His speed and dribbling made a mockery of Sevilla defenders all night long, and he got a well-deserved goal in the dying stages to bring his tally to five goal contributions in his last five appearances.

Arda Güler was a surprise omission from Mourinho’s XI midweek against Roma, but he reminded the manager exactly what he brings to the team in the dying stages of that Champions League comeback. A few days later, the midfielder was back in the lineup and on the scoresheet, curling home one of the best goals you’ll see all season. The Türkiye international must be a permanent starter moving forward.

Losers

Vinícius Jr was only a spectator on Sunday, serving the first of his four-game ban for the red card he received last weekend against Villarreal. As if the early months of 2026–27 couldn’t get any worse for the Brazilian, he now was forced to sit and watch Diomande light up the left flank, looking more at home in Mourinho’s system than Vinícius Jr has all season.

Little has gone right for Trent Alexander-Arnold since he left Liverpool for Real Madrid last summer. The England international’s debut campaign was marred by multiple long-term injuries and now he barely sees the pitch in his sophomore season. Already behind Denzel Dumfries in Mourinho’s pecking order, the fullback now must watch from the bench as Federico Valverde steals his minutes as well.

Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Sevilla (4-3-2-1)

*Ratings Provided by FotMob*

GK: Thibaut Courtois—7.4: Rightfully enraged after Mbappé lost the ball inside his own half, opening the door for Bueno to ruin the clean sheet he deserved.

RB: Federico Valverde—7.3: Couldn’t help but smile when Mbappé accidentally blocked his strike destined for goal. Once again looked more comfortable and had a larger impact at right back than he has in midfield. Came up with a huge block in front of Courtois just before the hour-mark.

CB: Ibrahima Konaté—7.1: Much more composed with Huijsen back alongside him instead of Rüdiger. Did his job with little fanfare, a welcomed sight after some midweek chaos.

CB: Dean Huijsen—7.5: Found himself at the center of a heated clash between both teams, but escaped with a yellow. Played like he knew Militão was coming to potentially take his spot in the future.

LB: Marc Cucurella—7.2: Linked up well with Diomande and was solid defensively. Still not at his best level, but it was more than enough for a struggling Sevilla side.

DM: Arda Güler—8.6: Bagged his second goal of the season in spectacular fashion. Few people in the world can curl a strike like the Türkiye international, who somehow went unpunished after an errant elbow caught Peque Fernández.

DM: Aurélien Tchouaméni—8.2: Played so much better alongside Güler. Made four tackles, tallied an assist and only misplaced five passes. Still dribbled past too easily, though.

RW: Endrick—6.5: Bright when he got on the ball in space. Danced past defenders down the right flank, but his final ball or shot left something to be desired.

AM: Jude Bellingham—8.1: Picked out Diomande with a sensational trivela ball in the build-up to the team’s opener. Soon upstaged himself with a backheel assist on Mbappé’s goal.

LW: Yan Diomande—8.8: Unselfishly laid off the ball to Güler to tally his third consecutive goal contribution. His passing was on display in the build-up to the team’s second and Mbappé’s penalty as well. Capped off a great night with a brilliant goal.

ST: Kylian Mbappé—9.0: Laughed off a few big misses before he scoring his best goal of the season in the first half. Bagged his brace from the spot in the second half with a cheeky panenka. Cost the team a clean sheet with a careless turnover.

SUB: Brahim Díaz (70’ for Endrick)—5.8: Struggled to get involved. Did not even muster a single shot.

SUB: Bernardo Silva (70’ for Bellingham)—6.2: Showed off his passing range.

SUB: Eduardo Camavinga (78’ for Güler)—6.4: Played his role with little mistakes.

SUB: Carlos Espí (85’ for Mbappé)—N/A

SUB: Éder Militão (85’ for Güler)—N/A

Subs not used: Andriy Lunin (GK), Javi Navarro (GK), Álvaro Carerras, Antonio Rüdiger, Denzel Dumfries, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Thiago Pitarch.

What the Ratings Tell Us

• Endrick earned a deserved start after his heroics off the bench against Roma. The Brazil international got the nod on the right wing, where he found so much success at Lyon on loan last season. His opportunities on Sunday were few and far between, though, as his team heavily overloaded the left flank. Still, he had some promising spurts forward, and will simply be relieved to get more minutes under his belt.
• Much criticism has fallen on Aurélien Tchouaméni for his underwhelming performances in Mourinho’s double pivot alongside Federico Valverde. The Frenchman no doubt breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Arda Güler was next to him against Sevilla. Tchouaméni was able to play as a true anchor, leaving the Turkish youngster to progress the ball forward and dictate the pace of the game in a well-balanced midfield display.
• Kylian Mbappé scored a highlight reel-worthy goal in the first half and followed it up with a successful penalty after the restart. It marks the third time this season the prolific forward has found the back of the net at least twice—and Real Madrid won all three games. He will hope to bring his form to the Camp Nou next weekend.

The Numbers That Explain Real Madrid’s Comfortable Win

• Unlike in previous games under Mourinho, Real Madrid dominated the game from the opening whistle, enjoying 65% possession. Much of the stability came from Güler’s deeper role in midfield.
• Los Blancos exceeded their 2.24 xG to put four goals past the visitors. It’s the fifth game this season they have scored four goals.
• Sevilla were on the back foot the entire game, which is why Courtois and Konaté were so upset to concede a goal in the late stages. The away team only managed a 0.75 xG.