José Mourinho has drawn up his list of untouchables, and you don't need to look far to find them. Just glance at Real Madrid's starting line-up since the season began.
Mbappé, Vinícius, Bellingham, Valverde and Courtois are the only five players to have started all six official matches under the Portuguese. They form the pillars on which Mourinho is building his new Real Madrid project.
Five names, five different roles. What binds them is the absolute trust of a coach who has handed this quintet priority from day one, just as his team's identity has started to take shape.
All five have always held a special place at the Bernabéu, and it was rare to see any of them left on the bench for a big game. Last season, though, at roughly this same stage, the picture looked rather different.
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Jude Bellingham was still recovering from a shoulder injury, while Vinícius Junior alternated between starting and sitting out, according to Spain's "Marca" newspaper.
Under Mourinho, things have run more smoothly, without major setbacks or surprises. The result: five wins in six matches, built on the quintet who have become the spine of the side.
Trust was only half of it. Mourinho has also redeployed some of them in the way he believes best serves the team, and the shift shows clearly in the new roles a number of these players now carry.
Mbappé: the goal machine
Kylian Mbappé leads this quintet for both performance and numbers. He has burst out of the blocks in stunning fashion, scoring seven goals in just six matches.
Keep up that rate and the Frenchman could pile up huge numbers in a Real Madrid shirt. At this level, he could reach 100 goals for the club in just two seasons, with only seven more standing between him and the milestone.
Cristiano Ronaldo, a role model Mbappé cannot ignore, sits firmly in the striker's calculations. The Portuguese reached that figure during his third season at the club, and Mbappé appears to have circled 2 November on his calendar as the day he aims to match his idol's record.
Look at his current form and Mbappé is enjoying one of his best spells since arriving in the Spanish capital. Little wonder he holds such a special place in Mourinho's thinking.
Vinícius: awaiting the explosion
His partner in attack, Vinícius Junior, is still chasing his best form.
One league goal and three assists is the return so far, and the Brazilian has yet to show his usual attacking clarity. The final touch and precision in front of goal remain far from the standard Real Madrid fans expect.
Another side of his game, though, has started to catch the eye, and it may matter to Mourinho every bit as much as goals and assists.
Against Inter Milan, the Brazilian threw himself into the defensive work and won the ball back nine times, a figure no Real Madrid forward has managed in more than a decade. This is exactly where Mourinho's influence shows. He wants Vinícius to be more complete, his contribution stretching beyond attacking danger.
Mourinho has already warned that Vinícius will come roaring back, and perhaps this tactical discipline and collective graft is the path the player needs to rediscover his best version.
Bellingham: a return to the right place
Jude Bellingham has proved once again that he is indispensable, emerging as one of Real Madrid's standout figures since returning to action. The England star was among the best players of the recent period, scoring seven goals at the World Cup and confirming his knack for making the difference in attacking areas, especially just behind the striker.
That is precisely the role Mourinho has restored to him. The Portuguese clearly did not want Bellingham stuck at double left-back, a role that drained him and dragged him away from the areas where he does most damage, chief among them the penalty box and its edges.
Freed to push forward and drift between the lines, Bellingham has seen his numbers and performances climb. Across the first six matches he scored three goals and set up two more, flashing the brilliance he showed in 2023-2024, when he became one of the club's biggest stars.
Valverde: the power Mourinho needs
Federico Valverde looks happy again, with every trace of his enforced spell at full-back now gone. That was a temporary chapter Mourinho had no interest in extending.
Gone, too, are the days on the wing. The Uruguayan has become an essential part of the double pivot, a role that hands the team huge physical power and stamina.
Valverde is not necessarily the most technically gifted midfielder, but Mourinho doesn't ask that of him. The burden of creating play and supplying the technical touches falls more on his two partners, Tchouaméni and Bernardo Silva.
Valverde's job is different: physical power, pressing, endless running, the ability to cover space, plus the leadership the midfield needs. That is why his presence has become non-negotiable in Mourinho's plans, even when the names around him change.
Courtois: the goalkeeper accustomed to saving Real Madrid
No discussion of Mourinho's quintet is complete without Thibaut Courtois, who keeps doing his usual work between the posts. Time and again he has been one of the main reasons Real Madrid stay alive in games.
The Belgian's brilliance might feel routine to Real Madrid fans, but it is decisive every time it surfaces. Courtois shone against Inter Milan, then produced important saves to rescue his side under pressure against Rayo Vallecano.
Even so, keeping a clean sheet remains a problem for Real Madrid, and the goalkeeper alone cannot carry the blame. Defensive organisation is a collective responsibility.
Just one clean sheet has come so far, against Malaga, which shows the real challenge stretches beyond Courtois to the entire defensive system.
The goalkeeper is doing his part, but protecting Real Madrid's goal takes every player, and Mourinho understands that well.
5 players: Mourinho's project starts from here
The picture looks clear to José Mourinho. Five players have become the backbone of the new Real Madrid: Mbappé, Vinícius, Bellingham, Valverde and Courtois.
Each has a different role and a specific function within the Portuguese's system, but the thread running through them is the trust Mourinho has shown from the outset.
The season is still long, and change will surely come. Rotation and rest will be needed as the fixtures pile up, yet the coach appears to have already settled the identity of his key men.
Weigh up the start and the results, and Mourinho clearly knows how to exploit his trust in this quintet. Around it he is building a team with power, experience, speed and the ability to make the difference.
Only five players have started all six matches, but their impact runs deeper than mere presence in the line-up. They represent the first outline of the Real Madrid Mourinho wants to lead towards trophies.