How Mbappe & Bellingham sparked Real Madrid's resurgence
The rest of Europe have been warned - Real Madrid are back.
And back as the stadium-filling rock legends that we know them to be, as opposed to the enthusiastic, discordant high school band they have looked like for so much of the season.
Carlo Ancelotti's beat Brest 3-0 on Wednesday in the final match of the Champions League league phase and will now face either Manchester City or Celtic in a mouth-watering play-off.
Since being destroyed 5-2 by Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup, Real have won their past five matches, scoring 20 goals, and are top of La Liga by four points.
An indifferent start to the campaign, including some inconsistent form and questions around the dynamic of the side with new superstar signing Kylian Mbappe, saw plenty of criticism directed towards boss Ancelotti.
"Ancelotti is leaving the club in the summer", "Mbappe can't settle", "Vinicius Jr is unsettled" - people were asking what was going on at Real.
But the demise of the European giants has been exaggerated.
Ancelotti has never been unduly bothered by the opinions of people outside of the club, although this time he sensed there were elements emanating from within.
'Ancelotti will decide when he leaves'
When one Spanish radio announced Ancelotti had told the club this season would be his last, they jumped the gun and he wasted no time in issuing a swift denial.
But Ancelotti will be the one to decide when he leaves the club, despite the year and a half left in his contract. After four years and 11 trophies - including two Champions League successes - he has earned the right to.
It also explains his slight smugness when informing the media that, after stating they were no good at all, their current league performances suggest the critics were wrong.
What is certain is that no-one is better placed than him to know when the time is right to walk away - and that will be when he believes he can no longer find the necessary solutions to ensure the continual arrival of trophies at the club.
At that point he will allow Florentino Perez to prepare the way for a new arrival - more likely than not Xabi Alonso, who always thought that Real or Liverpool would be his next steps if things went well with Bayer Leverkusen.
But not just yet.
Ancelotti has always believed Real would win titles this season, especially if they managed to overcome the inherent laziness that can often follow on from a Champions League and La Liga winning campaign.
It's worth noting that they still haven't beaten any of the top sides this season, including defeats by AC Milan and Liverpool in the Champions League and having nine thumped past them in their two encounters against Barcelona.
Ancelotti, though, remains unwavering in his belief.
'Real would not be scared to sell Vinicius'
Injuries, particularly in defence to the likes of Eder Militao and Dani Carvajal, did not help matters at the start.
But Ancelotti's main problems lay in the lack of a midfield to control games and the unwillingness of any of the stellar front three to put in a shift tracking back. And Jude Bellingham did not know where to run to cover so much ground.
The renewed vigour being displayed by Dani Ceballos in midfield has helped, but it is their displays in attack that have really made the difference to Real's fortunes.
Where to begin with Vinicius Jr, who seems to be the focus of everyone's attention whether playing or not.
The Brazil attacker has been in and out of the line-up recently, either through injury or suspension, and is currently the subject of a colossal offer from Saudi Arabia.
The story has been allowed to 'gain legs' by the Real decision makers who control the agenda, thanks to a compliant Madrid media who will focus on it for as long as it suits the club for them to do so.
The money injected by the sale of the 24-year-old would go a long way to paying for the stadium debt, along with a number of other financial benefits.
Real would certainly not be scared of selling the player, but the timing has to be right.
Much has been made about what is seen as Vinicius' confrontational approach to taunts from opposition fans.
In the latest incident, he responded to chants of "tonto" (stupid) from Valencia supporters earlier this month by making a hand gesture suggesting the La Liga strugglers are going to be relegated.
In his defence, no single player I have seen has received the level of abuse that is dished out to him, including numerous examples of racism from fans.
Anyone expecting a bowed head and closed mouth reaction from Vinicius is going to have a lengthy wait.
He believes the abuse he receives is as unjust as it is fundamentally racist and not something he is prepared to endure.
On the field, Vinicius' developing understanding with Mbappe is another of the reasons for Real's improved performances.
The Frenchman had a tricky start to his Madrid career, but it is becoming clearer by the day that Real's success will revolve around making Mbappe the main goalscoring focus - and leader.
Mbappe was always too intelligent, too talented and too precocious to fail, or buckle under the pressure, at Real Madrid.
He originally saw playing as a number nine as a more static role than he does now, and was conscious of not being seen to invade Vinicius' space - on and off the pitch - even going as far as accepting that penalties would be rotated.
These days wherever he appears on the pitch the team adapt to him accordingly. He has also accepted that as a number nine he can be lethal, not so much with his back to goal but by running in behind and finishing clinically.
Since missing a penalty against Athletic Club on 4 December, he has scored 12 goals, including his first hat-trick.
He is now the club's official penalty taker. And even Vinicius admitted the team will do all they can so Mbappe becomes the top scorer in both La Liga and the Champions League.
Bellingham becoming a Real Madrid 'leader'
Also in a rich vein of form is Brazil forward Rodrygo, with 10 goals in his past 10 games, having gone two and a half months without a goal previously.
The self-doubts and feelings that he was not valued or appreciated at the club have been replaced with a new-found confidence
Any wishes he might have had to leave have since vanished, not least because Ancelotti has confirmed to him that he sees him as a big match player and an automatic starter.
Then, we have Bellingham, whose stock continues to rise.
Despite playing with niggling injuries, the England man is without doubt the oil that is currently greasing the Real machine.
Whether driving forward with the ball or creating from the edge of the box with his back to goal - linking up, assisting or scoring - he is clearly enjoying himself.
Everyone's best friend at the team, Bellingham has, alongside Mbappe, already established himself as one of the two leaders at Real Madrid.
