Real Madrid are ready for the official start of the new season. On Tuesday, Los Blancos played a friendly against WSG Tirol, and one man stole the show: Kylian Mbappé.
Real Madrid’s preparations for the new season came to an unusual and very concise conclusion on Tuesday evening in Austria, as they played their one and only pre-season friendly a 0-4 victory over WSG Tirol.
While the scoreline reflected the dominance of Carlo Ancelotti’s men, it was Kylian Mbappé’s performance, both on and off the ball, that truly stole the spotlight.
WSG Tirol, who finished ninth in last season’s Austrian Bundesliga, could hardly have imagined welcoming the reigning European champions to their Tivoli Stadion for what would be Madrid’s only warm-up match before competitive action begins. For Tirol, securing such a high-profile opponent was a coup in itself, something that will be remembered by the club and its fans for years to come. The spectacle also generated considerable local excitement, with the stadium filled to capacity well before kick-off and thousands eager for a glimpse of Los Blancos’ galaxy of stars.
The unusual decision for Madrid to play just one friendly match was dictated by circumstances beyond the club’s control. This summer’s schedule was shaped around their participation in the expanded FIFA Club World Cup, a tournament that not only limited available preparation time but also forced Ancelotti to carefully manage the workload of his squad. Rather than the usual pre-season tour across multiple countries, Madrid opted for a short, intensive training camp and a single 90-minute test before the real business begins.
When the match got underway, it didn’t take long for Madrid’s quality to shine through. The final score of 0-4 told its own story: the Spanish giants dictated possession, pressed aggressively when out of the ball, and created chance after chance. Yet the headlines belonged, unsurprisingly, to their marquee summer signing, Kylian Mbappé. Wearing the number 10 shirt for the first time in a Madrid match, the French superstar was everywhere drifting wide to the left, cutting inside from the right, dropping deep to link play, and making penetrating runs through the middle.
Two of Madrid’s four goals came from Mbappé, marking his first strikes for the club. The first was a confident finish that demonstrated his trademark composure; the second, which truly electrified the Tivoli crowd, was a dazzling solo effort in a one-on-one situation, the kind of move that defenders dread and fans live for. Spanish sports daily Marca summed it up perfectly the next morning: “He is Madrid’s best striker: as a number 9, number 7, number 10, number 11 you name it,” a nod to his fluid movement across every attacking position.
The standing ovation that greeted Mbappé’s substitution later in the match wasn’t just a recognition of his goals, but of the overall sense of excitement and anticipation he has brought to Madrid. Supporters have waited years for his arrival, and this debut gave them an early glimpse of what he can deliver.
Off the pitch, Mbappé also had a moment that went viral. Just before half-time, he experienced the kind of fan encounter familiar to global icons like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. A young supporter burst past the stewards and ran onto the pitch, phone in hand, determined to capture a selfie with his idol. While security moved in quickly, Mbappé’s reaction smiling warmly and putting his arm around the youngster instantly diffused the situation. “The security staff calmed down when they saw that Madrid’s number 10 was delighted with his unexpected friend,” one match report noted.
The interaction was shared widely on social media within minutes, with fans praising Mbappé’s humility and connection with supporters. In an era where player-fan relations are often tightly controlled, this spontaneous exchange added another layer to the growing narrative of Mbappé as not just a footballing phenomenon, but also a showman and ambassador for the sport.
For Madrid, the match against Tirol served multiple purposes: it gave new signings valuable minutes, allowed Ancelotti to test tactical variations, and provided an opportunity to see how Mbappé might combine with the likes of Vinícius Júnior, Jude Bellingham, and Rodrygo once the season begins. While the opposition was modest compared to the challenges that await in La Liga and the Champions League, the signs were overwhelmingly positive.
As the team now shifts focus to competitive fixtures, this brief pre-season outing will be remembered less for the scoreline and more for what it symbolised: the dawn of the Mbappé era at Real Madrid. If his debut is any indication, the French forward could be set to dominate headlines not just for his goals, but for his ability to make the extraordinary look routine.
