Mourinho speaks after Real Madrid’s victory over Schalke 04.

Real Madrid wrapped up their pre-season campaign with a convincing 3-0 victory over Schalke 04. After the final friendly of the summer, José Mourinho gave an assessment of his squad’s condition and the progress made ahead of the new season.

Real Madrid’s summer preparations are officially over. José Mourinho still had several players to reintegrate into the squad, particularly those who returned later after taking part in the World Cup, and the Portuguese coach used the match against Schalke to give them valuable minutes.

Speaking after the game, Mourinho was pleased with what he had seen from his players during the preparation period.

“Positive. Positive as a team and positive individually,” Mourinho said. “Obviously, some players arrived later and they don’t yet have the same intensity as the boys who were here from the first day. But here, we only have good, very good and excellent players.”

The former Chelsea, Inter Milan and Benfica coach highlighted the significant differences in preparation levels within his squad.

“Some players have already completed around 30 training sessions and played six matches, while others have only trained with the group three or four times,” he explained.

Despite those differences, Mourinho believes the tactical work carried out since the beginning of pre-season is already starting to become visible on the pitch.

“Tactically, the ideas are gradually settling in. The players have superior quality, incredible quality. We are working very well as a team, with the ball and without the ball. I think this was a very good test, a very good final training session before starting the best part.”

Kylian Mbappé and Ibrahima Konaté both played 45 minutes against Schalke, while Jude Bellingham, Marc Cucurella and Yan Diomandé were each given around half an hour. Mourinho revealed that the playing times were carefully determined by the club’s staff.

“These are things that we analyse scientifically, using the data we have, but also taking into account the most important thing: the player’s own knowledge of his body,” Mourinho explained. “We arrive at this week in a very acceptable physical condition for this stage of the season. Vamos.”

For Mourinho, however, physical fitness is not the only important factor. He is particularly pleased with the enthusiasm and commitment being shown by his squad.

“The most important thing is that the players are excited. If the supporters are excited, if I’m excited and the president is excited, but the players aren’t, then we have a problem. But they are showing that they are.”

🗣️ José Mourinho: "Aquí solo tenemos jugadores buenos, muy BUENOS y muy muy muy BUENOS

Los jugadores están muy ILUSIONADOS, yo estoy muy ILUSIONADO y el presidente también.

Hay jugadores que se han presentado antes de su fecha de regreso, me están demostrando MUCHO." 😍🔥 pic.twitter.com/PNDcLy24vq

— (fan) REAL MADRID FANS 🤍 (@AdriRM33) August 16, 2026

The Portuguese coach pointed to several examples of that commitment, including players returning from their holidays earlier than expected and others arriving in excellent individual condition.

To conclude, Mourinho was asked what had changed at Real Madrid since his arrival.

“We play like a team,” he replied. “You can see empathy and collective work. The team is starting to look like a real team.”

With pre-season now complete, Mourinho and Real Madrid can turn their full attention towards the competitive campaign ahead.