Real Madrid's Final Preseason Test Against Schalke 04
Real Madrid’s final dress rehearsal before La Liga kicks off will take place in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday, where Schalke 04 await and Jose Mourinho gets one last look at his squad under match pressure.
It’s the closing act of a long summer. Six days later, the real thing starts away to Espanyol in Barcelona. This trip to Germany is no longer just a friendly; it’s an audition.
New faces on the brink
Mourinho’s bench will look different. Yan Diomande, Marc Cucurella and Ibrahima Konate are all available and all still waiting for their first Real Madrid minutes. Their debuts could come in one hit, in a foreign stadium, with selection decisions for the league opener just around the corner.
Kylian Mbappe is in the same boat in a very different way. Back in training this week after his World Cup break, the French star could make his first appearance under the Portuguese coach in Gelsenkirchen. One outing, even a short one, might be enough to tilt Mourinho’s thinking for Espanyol.
Bellingham and Tchouameni: big doubts, big decisions
The intrigue doesn’t stop there. According to Mundo Deportivo, the real uncertainty before Schalke surrounds Jude Bellingham and Aurelien Tchouameni.
Bellingham returned to training on Wednesday. Now it’s a straight call for Mourinho: risk him in Germany or hold him back for Barcelona. The Englishman is set to be restored to his preferred role, operating as an attacking midfielder just off the centre-forward, a position that could define Madrid’s attacking shape this season.
Tchouameni’s situation mirrors Bellingham’s, but with a different problem. The French midfielder is coming back from a minor muscular issue. The expectation is that he will be ready for the league opener, yet his involvement against Schalke is still up in the air.
His battle for minutes will be fierce. The double pivot is crowded with heavyweight options: Federico Valverde, Bernardo Silva and Eduardo Camavinga all stand between Tchouameni and a guaranteed starting spot. Every pre-season minute matters. He may not get any in Germany.
For now, both Bellingham and Tchouameni sit in that awkward middle ground: central to Mourinho’s plans, but not certain to step on the pitch this weekend.
Injury list grows, six to stay home
Some decisions are already made. Raul Asencio, Ferland Mendy, Rodrygo, Thiago Pitarch and Eder Militao will not travel. All five are recovering from injuries and will remain in Madrid to continue their rehabilitation while the rest of the squad heads to Germany.
The bad news didn’t end there. Endrick has suffered a muscle overload and is also expected to miss the game against Schalke. Mourinho can only hope the Brazilian, along with Bellingham and Tchouameni, is ready in time for Espanyol. The season will not wait.
La Fabrica cash machine keeps spinning
While the first team prepares for Schalke, the academy doors keep revolving. Real Madrid’s youth system has seen a wave of departures this summer, and the exodus is not slowing down.
The next big move is close. Jacobo Ortega is set for a transfer to Strasbourg, a deal that would make him the most expensive sale of a Real Madrid youth player yet to feature in the first team. Even that, though, is only part of the story.
Two more names are already lining up for the exit.
Manuel Angel and David Jimenez: era ending at Castilla
According to AS, Manuel Angel and David Jimenez are next in line to leave, both effectively at the end of their cycle with Castilla.
Interest in the pair is widespread, stretching from top-flight clubs to the second division and beyond. Nothing has been finalised yet, but their status is clear: they are on their way out.
The club has acted accordingly. Both players have been training separately and have been left out of Castilla’s pre-season friendlies and matchday squads. The logic is simple and ruthless: no unnecessary risk, no injuries that might jeopardise potential transfers.
Once Ortega’s deal and other outgoing moves are counted, Real Madrid’s academy income this summer is set to climb past €200 million. Inside Valdebebas, the window is already being described as historic.
Two talents at a crossroads
The numbers tell one story; the players tell another.
Manuel Angel, 22, is a cerebral midfielder who joined La Fabrica in 2014 and grew into one of the most highly regarded talents in the academy. Ambidextrous, composed, and trusted enough to step into the first team at the end of last season, he made seven appearances with the seniors. The next step for him is clear: find a club that can offer regular, meaningful minutes.
David Jimenez brings a different profile. An attacking full-back with one of the most admired right feet in the academy, he has been praised for his leadership and aggressive, forward-thinking style. Comparisons to Dani Carvajal have followed him, and like Manuel Angel, he also featured for the first team last season, catching the eye under both Xabi Alonso and Arbeloa.
Both were pillars of Alvaro Arbeloa’s treble-winning academy generation, alongside Nico Paz and Gonzalo Garcia. Now they wait, along with Real Madrid and their representatives, for the right offer to land.
As Mourinho fine-tunes his squad in Gelsenkirchen and La Liga looms, one question hangs over Valdebebas: how many of these departures will Madrid come to see as smart business, and how many as the ones that got away?
