Cherif Fofana of Real Madrid
Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images
Real Madrid have an excellent academy model that most clubs around Europe would envy.
La Fabrica is not just a source of talented starlets for the first team. In fact, that may be the least important prong of Madrid’s academy.
Very few players, such as Raul Asencio and Thiago Pitarch, have stepped up from the academy and earned a place in the first team.
The academy has also proved to be a source of income for the club, with Madrid generating close to €210 million from academy-related operations in the summer.
Now, according to Diario AS, Los Blancos youngster Cherif Fofana is emerging as one of the names to watch at Valdebebas.
The highly rated academy prospect has already been given an opportunity to work alongside Mourinho’s senior squad. He has also been dubbed the ‘little Kante’.
Mourinho has already taken a look
Mourinho inviting Cherif into the senior environment is significant. First-team training does not guarantee competitive minutes, but it is an important first step.
At Madrid, minutes are not easy to come by with a squad as talented as theirs, but Cherif training with them will be valuable exposure for him.
Cherif Fofana of Real Madrid
Cherif is dubbed the ‘little Kante’. (Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images)
It also provides an opportunity for him to become familiar with Mourinho’s expectations before any potential first-team opportunity arrives.
Madrid have already seen that pathway work with academy talents such as Asencio and Pitarch, who have progressed and become genuine first-team options.
Another prospect emerging from La Fabrica
Cherif is another product of a recruitment and development system designed to identify players capable of eventually competing at the highest level.
Not every highly rated youngster will establish himself at the Bernabeu, and Madrid know that better than anyone.
Cherif Fofana of Real Madrid
Mourinho has already taken a liking to Cherif Fofana’s profile. (Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images)
The important part is creating a pathway where the best prospects are continually exposed to higher standards.
Training under Mourinho represents precisely that kind of step. Cherif cannot afford to slack off now and needs to keep improving and developing.
The 16-year-old central midfielder seems to have a huge future in the game, and it remains to be seen how his progression at Madrid plays out.
Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham makes England history with phenomenal four-goal contribution vs Croatia
Jude Bellingham, England and Real Madrid player
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham has not put a foot wrong since the World Cup in North America in the summer.
He has been scoring and creating chances for fun for both England and Real Madrid, and that trend has carried into the international break.
Bellingham has produced another reminder of his extraordinary attacking influence, with the Madrid midfielder making England history after recording four goal involvements in a single match, which came against Croatia (1G, 3A).
According to Opta, Bellingham became the first England midfielder to achieve the feat since David Platt recorded four goal involvements against San Marino in February 1993.
Bellingham ends 33-year wait
That means more than three decades have passed since an England midfielder last managed what Bellingham has just produced.
That statistic is another illustration of why Bellingham cannot simply be judged as a conventional central midfielder.
4 – Jude Bellingham is the first midfielder to record four goal involvements in a match for England since David Platt scored four against San Marino in February 1993. Phenomenal. https://t.co/2LNCXbEQXd
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 3, 2026
His ability to arrive around the penalty area, create chances and directly influence goals gives him an attacking dimension that very few midfielders possess.
Four goal involvements in one international match is exceptional regardless of the opposition or circumstances.
Doing something no other England midfielder had managed since 1993 puts the performance on a much higher pedestal.
Mourinho has an extraordinary weapon
Mourinho already knows how valuable Bellingham can be when given the freedom to operate close to Madrid’s attack.
His ideal position will always be a dilemma. He has the physical qualities to contribute deeper, the technical ability to help progression and the intelligence to operate between the lines.
Jude Bellingham, England and Real Madrid player
Jude Bellingham has been brilliant for England and Real Madrid. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
However, performances like this are precisely why Madrid should be careful about moving him too far away from goal.
Bellingham’s greatest quality might be that he does not need to dominate possession to dominate a football match. He knows the exact moment to be decisive.
International breaks can often make Madrid nervous, particularly when key players are involved, but Bellingham will return having enjoyed an extraordinary time with England.
The numbers speak for themselves. Madrid possess plenty of attacking talent, but Bellingham is the glue that holds everything together.
Mourinho’s task is to build a structure that maximises that, and judging by Bellingham’s start to the season, he has done it to a large extent.
It remains to be seen whether the England midfielder can sustain his form in the coming weeks and months for Real Madrid.