Alonso urges Madrid stars to keep up the heat after superb start

Real Madrid must not stop setting the highest of standards as they aim to build on their superb start to 2025-26, so says Xabi Alonso.

Madrid are yet to fail to win a game this season, as their brilliant run continued with a 4-1 thrashing of Levante in LaLiga on Tuesday.

Kylian Mbappe scored twice to ensure his fine form rolled on, as he added to first-half goals from Vinicius Junior and Franco Mastantuono, who netted in a Madrid shirt for the first time since joining from River Plate.

Madrid have started a LaLiga season with six wins in their first six matches for the sixth time in the competition's history, and Alonso urged his players not to step off the gas, with a derby against Atletico Madrid coming up next.

"We're very much in a growing phase, we're still building," Alonso told reporters.

"There is a long way to go yet. We're building a solid base to be competitive in LaLiga, the Champions League and the Copa [del Rey].

"They all feel connected and an important part of the team.

"There is still room for improvement but we're on the right track – not only with the results but also how we're doing things. We can't stop, this is just the beginning and we want to keep competing well.

"Having quality players makes everything easier, and it doesn't take much training for them to understand our ideas and what we're looking for.

"They're flexible, they're not tied to playing in one specific way, they can do all kinds of things and even play different positions."

Mastantuono, meanwhile, was thrilled to have got off the mark in LaLiga.

"I made a lot of mistakes too, but luckily it came," the 18-year-old said, as quoted by AS.

"Honestly, I was expecting it. It wasn't the main thing on my mind, but it was a step I needed to take to continue gaining confidence, strengthening myself in this team that's getting better and better. It's a huge joy that this goal happened."