Real Madrid begins pre‑season under Mourinho with eight players available

José Mourinho returned to Real Madrid for a second spell and opened the 2025‑26 pre‑season at the club’s Valdebebas training complex. The first session on 13 July involved only eight senior players—Dean Huijsen, Trent Alexander‑Arnold, Eduardo Camavinga, Álvaro Carreras, Andriy Lunin, Gonzalo García, Franco Mastantuono and Raúl Asencio—while injured squad members Éder Militão, Ferland Mendy and Rodrygo Goes attended medical examinations. Mourinho’s staff includes Antonio Pintus, who will remain as physical trainer despite the coach’s preference for a replacement, and the use of hypoxia training masks to assess individual fitness levels. The club also announced a search for a midfield signing comparable to Sami Khedira, with candidates such as Manu Koné, Martín Zubimendi and Richard Ríos being evaluated. Two preseason friendlies are scheduled: against Fiorentina on 1 August in Klagenfurt, Austria, and against Deportivo de La Coruña on 12 August in the Teresa Herrera Trophy. The squad will be reinforced progressively as players complete World Cup duties, with names like Bernardo Silva, Vinícius Jr, and Thibaut Courtois expected to join in the coming weeks.