Jose Mourinho Praises Real Madrid Players

Real Madrid concluded their preseason preparations with a convincing victory over Schalke 04 at the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen. According to Realmadrid TV, the match showed that the Spanish giants are on the right track ahead of the 2026/27 season, while head coach Jose Mourinho expressed his satisfaction with his players’ performance. Goal.com reports this.

The decisive moments came in the opening minutes, giving the hosts the upper hand from the start. In the sixth minute, Kylian Mbappe capitalized on an error in the opposition defence to open the scoring, marking his first appearance of the current preseason camp.

The advantage was soon extended. In the 20th minute, Dean Huijsen headed home a corner delivered by Arda Güler to double the lead. In the second half, he converted a pass from substitute Carlos Espí Carreras to put the finishing touch on the match and seal a 3–0 victory.

The coach’s thoughts on the squad and new players

Real Madrid have recorded three wins and one draw in four preseason friendlies, with positive changes evident in their play. Speaking to Realmadrid TV after the match, Jose Mourinho highlighted the team’s overall progress and the adaptation of the new arrivals.

According to the coach, collective development is more important than individual assessments. “It is difficult to assess players individually at the moment because we are growing as a team,” the manager stressed, adding that the squad contains only good, very good and outstanding players.

Physical Workloads and a Scientific Approach

New arrivals such as Marc Cucurella and Yan Diomande also made their debuts during the match. The coach praised their mentality, noting that they had joined the team in the best possible frame of mind despite difficult conditions and twice-daily training sessions in high temperatures.

Jose Mourinho explained that he had strictly managed the players’ minutes on the pitch. Mbappe and Konate played 45 minutes, while Jude Bellingham, Cucurella and Diomande featured for 30 minutes. These decisions were not random but were made after a scientific analysis based on the data collected.