Thibaut Courtois and Bellingham turn Racing win into a milestone night for Real Madrid

Thibaut Courtois and Jude Bellingham turned Real Madrid's 3-0 win at Racing Santander into a night of milestones as well as points. Courtois made his 346th appearance for the club, moved level with Miguel Angel as the joint third goalkeeper with the most appearances in Madrid history, and captained the side while keeping a clean sheet. Bellingham scored his 50th goal for the club in the same match.

Courtois' landmark and the armband

Courtois called the milestone “a huge source of pride” and said that reaching 346 matches for Madrid was an honour. He also stressed the captaincy, saying it was only the second time he had started as captain for the club.

“It’s always an honour to wear the armband for the biggest club in the world,” he said, adding that starting as captain was “a source of pride” for him.

The clean sheet fit the evening cleanly enough. Madrid were not under siege, Courtois made one save, and the 7.2 rating attached to his performance matches the low-drama nature of the win.

Bellingham's 50 and the team-first line

Bellingham was just as direct about the milestone. “It’s very special to reach 50 goals for Real Madrid,” he said, but he immediately folded the individual number into the team picture, adding that the important thing is that everyone helps the team.

That line matters because the finish came in a result Madrid controlled and because Bellingham did not frame the landmark as a personal statement. Madrid scored three times, and Bellingham's goal was part of a night in which different attackers contributed, including Kylian Mbappé, who also drew attention in the match.

There was also debate around the Mbappé incident, with some arguing for a penalty and VAR intervention, while others saw no reason for either. However that is judged, the result stayed intact, and Bellingham said the focus had already moved on.

He pointed to the next run of games, saying Madrid are now thinking about Athens and Valencia. The 3-0 win at El Sardinero gave them another clean sheet and two personal landmarks, and the next test arrives away to AEK Athens FC on 2026-11-04.