José Mourinho pronounced himself satisfied with his Real Madrid squad after their final pre-season run-out, declaring that "the team is starting to look like a team" as his side wrapped up their summer schedule with a comfortable win away to Schalke 04, ONE reported.
Real Madrid won 3-0 at the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, with Kylian Mbappé and Dean Huijsen scoring in the first half before a further goal after the break settled the contest. The friendly also formed part of celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of Schalke's home stadium.
The result left Mourinho's side unbeaten through four pre-season fixtures in his second spell in charge of the club, with the serious business now just days away: Real Madrid open the 2026-27 La Liga season away to Espanyol on Saturday.
"It has been a very good test, a very good final training session before starting the real thing," Mourinho said, in comments carried by ONE and the club's own channels.
The Portuguese coach was especially pleased with how his squad — a mix of long-serving veterans and high-profile summer arrivals — is starting to gel on and off the pitch. "The team is starting to look like a team. Because if we talk about players individually, as I told you, they're either very good or very, very, very good," he said.
Mourinho added that the group has shown genuine unity in training, even among those still adjusting to a new dressing room. "We're playing as a team. There's empathy and collective work," he said, pointing to players who returned early from their summer break to put in extra preparation time.
With the transfer business largely settled and the squad taking shape, Mourinho's message ahead of the competitive season was one of quiet confidence rather than declaration — a coach who has seen enough across four friendlies to believe his group is coming together, without yet claiming it has arrived.
