Real Madrid Close Out Preseason Unbeaten
Real Madrid wrapped up their preseason preparations for 2026-27 with a fourth straight match without defeat. At the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, José Mourinho’s side beat Schalke 04 3-0, closing out the preseason with a record of three wins and one draw.
The match started fast. In the 6th minute, Kylian Mbappé pounced on a poor back-pass from Schalke defender Schallenberg, rounded goalkeeper Loris Karius and opened the scoring — his first appearance of the preseason, having only rejoined training the previous Monday after his holiday. Three minutes later, Schalke responded through a free-kick from Auchiche that grazed the crossbar. Before the break, Real doubled their lead: Arda Güler delivered a corner and Dean Huijsen headed home to make it 0-2.
After the interval, Mourinho brought on four players — Andriy Lunin, Antonio Rüdiger, Eduardo Camavinga and Carlos Espí. It was Espí, a product of the club’s own academy, who completed the scoring in the 57th minute, heading in a cross from Álvaro Carreras on the left flank. Later in the second half, debutants Marc Cucurella and record signing Yan Diomande also came on, along with Jude Bellingham and Denzel Dumfries.
Thibaut Courtois started in goal, playing his first minutes of the entire preseason after returning to training later than the rest of the squad due to his World Cup commitments. He was replaced by Lunin at half-time.
For Schalke 04, the occasion carried extra significance — the club was marking the 25th anniversary of their stadium’s opening while preparing for their return to the Bundesliga after three seasons in the second division.
Real Madrid’s preseason now reads: a 2-2 draw with Fiorentina, a 2-1 win over Ferencváros, a 1-0 win over Deportivo La Coruña in the Teresa Herrera Trophy (courtesy of a Brahim Díaz goal), and now a 3-0 win over Schalke 04 — not counting the closed-doors training matches against Alcorcón and Leganés. It was also the first match in which Mourinho had his entire available squad to choose from since preseason began.
The official start of the season is now just a week away. Real Madrid open their LaLiga campaign away to Espanyol on Saturday, August 22, at 9:30pm, at the club’s stadium in Cornellà de Llobregat.
