Mourinho Returns to Where He Became King of Europe

Real Madrid will complete their preparations for the new season at a stadium José Mourinho should remember very well. Los Blancos face Schalke 04 at the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday at 5:00 p.m. CEST.

For Mourinho, this is more than another trip to Germany. On 26 May 2004, at the same stadium — then known as the Arena AufSchalke — he won his first Champions League trophy. His FC Porto side defeated AS Monaco 3–0 through goals from Carlos Alberto, Deco and Dmitri Alenichev.

That victory opened the door to Europe’s biggest clubs. Mourinho joined Chelsea only days later. More than 22 years on, he returns to Gelsenkirchen as Real Madrid manager. The prize may be slightly less impressive this time, but the match will give him one final opportunity to make decisions before the competitive season begins.

Madrid arrive in Germany unbeaten in preseason. They opened with a 2–2 draw against Fiorentina, defeated Ferencváros 2–1 and then beat Deportivo La Coruña 1–0 to lift the Trofeo Teresa Herrera for the tenth time in the club’s history.

Mourinho has selected a 23-man squad. Thibaut Courtois, Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, Bernardo Silva, Ibrahima Konaté, Marc Cucurella and Yan Diomande are all included. It is the coach’s final chance to conduct a major test before points, pressure and consequences enter the equation.

The venue provides another positive memory for Madrid. The Veltins-Arena is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and Los Blancos have won both of their previous competitive visits to face Schalke: 6–1 in 2014 and 2–0 in 2015. Both matches were played in the Champions League round of 16.

After the friendly in Gelsenkirchen, attention will turn to Real Madrid’s opening league fixture. Mourinho’s team will visit Espanyol at the RCDE Stadium on 22 August. By then, the Portuguese coach must know which players have earned a starting place and which ones merely looked convincing in the preseason photographs.

Schalke 04 vs Real Madrid kicks off at 5:00 p.m. CEST on Sunday, 16 August. Real Madrid lists Realmadrid TV and RM Play as broadcasters, with La 1 also showing the match in Spain. Schalke states that DAZN holds exclusive rights in Germany, so availability will depend on the viewer’s country.

Sources: Real Madrid, FC Schalke 04, UEFA