Real Madrid is finalizing preparations for the return of its players ahead of the upcoming season. It will be an unusual preseason, with no trips around the world, everything at home, no media attention, and nothing that could distract from what really matters: the players’ preparation.
Last week of vacation
The Real Madrid squad is enjoying its last week of vacation. Next Monday, August 4, all members of the first team are scheduled to begin preparations for the new season. They have had 23 days off, three more than the minimum required by the players’ contract. The club did not want its players to return to training over the weekend and has given them a little more time off because, starting Monday, the hard work begins.
The only question mark regarding the squad that will begin training on Monday is the arrival of Mastantuono. The player will already be at the Valdebebas training ground on Monday, but his official contract with the club begins on August 14, the day the young Argentine gem turns 18. The club is looking into legal alternatives so that the player can be under Xabi Alonso‘s orders from day one or, at least, so that he can train at what will be his home for the next six seasons, as per his contract.
Pre-season matches
For the first time in many years, Real Madrid will not play any pre-season matches before the start of La Liga. This means that Xabi Alonso will not be able to test anything before the first league match, which will be against Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabéu on August 19. It will be the first test of the season with no safety net and no margin for error. That is why the fifteen days that the coach from Tolosa has must be enough to get the squad ready, to draw conclusions about his starting eleven, without distractions, without trips, with nothing else to do but for his players to internalize the new system. It is taken for granted that in 15 days the team will not be able to perform smoothly, but it will be enough for them to begin to internalize some automatic responses.
There is a possibility that the team could play a few games behind closed doors with the reserve team. Real Madrid Castilla, managed by Álvaro Arbeloa, could be the team’s only test before the start of the league, a more experienced team and extra motivated by playing against the seniors.
First league game
As we have mentioned, Real Madrid only has 15 days to prepare for their game against Osasuna. On Tuesday, August 19, the Santiago Bernabéu will open its doors for the first time this 2025-2026 season. The match is still to be confirmed, as LaLiga has refused to postpone it and an appeal is pending. There is talk of a verbal agreement that Tebas has refused to honor at the last minute, arguments that may not be enough to convince the final authority to make the final decision.
Real Madrid returns to training 23 days after the end of the 2024-25 season and only has 15 days to prepare for the start of the league championship. There is a lot of excitement and enthusiasm, but the start of a schedule that looks set to be busier than ever. On Monday, the new Real Madrid kicks off. There will be no preseason matches, only work and training to prepare for the start of the new year.