Player Ratings: Schalke 0 – 3 Real Madrid
Thibaut Courtois — 7.5: Had almost nothing to do. Made one save on the only real test he faced. His distribution was very good, misplacing just one pass — a long ball.
Trent Alexander-Arnold — 7.5: Fantastic long-range passing throughout.
Ibrahima Konaté — 7.5: Very strong cameo. Dominant in the air and cleaned up whenever the ball came near him. Very good with the ball at his feet.
Dean Huijsen — 8.5: Made nine clearances, scored a goal, and was unlucky not to score another header shortly after.
Álvaro
Carreras — 8: Won four of his five aerial duels, read passing lanes well, and had a fantastic assist to Espi for Real Madrid’s third goal.
Bernardo Silva — 6.5: Quieter than in his last match and lost possession deep in his own half once, but was still very good on the ball, played vertically, and misplaced just two passes all game. Briefly played as the team’s No. 10 after Arda Güler was subbed off at half-time.
Fede Valverde — 7.5: Some great defensive reads and vertical passes today. Tired a little in the second half and got sloppy on the ball, but looked good overall.
Brahim Díaz — 6.5: Played one incredible pass over the top to Mbappé. Quiet relative to the others. Also took one unnecessary risk with his dribbling deep in his own half.
Arda Güler — 8.5: Only ended up with two key passes, but that’s partly because he often played the vital line-breaking pass before the final ball, or because Mbappé was caught offside. He was surgical today and probably Real Madrid’s best player.
Vinícius Jr. — 3: Couldn’t get the better of Becker or Ljubicic on that wing. Clumsy on the ball. Lost possession 12 times and completed just one of his six dribble attempts. Still looks physically off the mark. Hopefully it’s just a pre-season issue and doesn’t linger into the official matches.
Kylian Mbappé — 8.5: Didn’t look sluggish at all in his first game back. Scored within six minutes, looked explosive with his dribbling, and deserved an assist after setting up Vinícius with a great chance.
Substitutes
Andriy Lunin — 8: Made three saves and was quick off his line.
Antonio Rüdiger — 6: Good distribution, but rash with his challenges.
Eduardo Camavinga — 7.5: Excellent cameo off the bench. Very good with his passing in all sorts of ways — short passes, long passes, switches — while also contributing with good interceptions and tackles.
Carlos Espi — 8.5: Fantastic header at the far post to put Real Madrid three goals up, great hold-up play, and deserved an assist after setting up Alexis Ciria for a point-blank chance.
Marc Cucurella — 6.5: Not much to note other than that it’s great to finally see him make his debut. Mostly stayed in his own half.
Denzel Dumfries — 6: Quiet game off the bench. Still looks like he’s going through the motions this pre-season.
Jude Bellingham — 7: Didn’t misplace a single pass in his return, including a couple of really nice through balls to Vinícius and Espi, respectively.
Yan Diomande — 6.5: Another player making his debut. Nice to see him linking up with his teammates on the right wing. His speed and defensive tracking are a huge breath of fresh air.
Jorge Cestero — 7: Worked really hard defensively and had a crucial block in the box.
Mario Rivas — N/A
Ilya Voloshyn — N/A
Alexis Ciria — N/A: Although he did miss a sitter.
