Thousands of fans have descended on the MCG to watch the superstars of Real Madrid train ahead this weekend's match, but the team's manager was not all that impressed with the state of the ground's hallowed turf.

Real Madrid is in Melbourne with Italian side Roma and Premier League giant Manchester City as part of the International Champions Cup.

All three sides are taking part in the series which sees some of the world's best clubs play each other around the world, including China and the United States.

Roma and Real Madrid play the first of three matches hosted by the MCG this Saturday.

Manager Rafael Benitez said some instability off the pitch needed to be put behind them, but "the feeling within the team is very, very good".

He said the training facilities at nearby AAMI park were up to standard, but expressed disappointment about the condition of the MCG.

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"I have to say today... the pitch was not the best, so we have to be aware of that," Benitez said.

"We have an important game, important players so hopefully they can do their best for the game. I know that will not be easy.

"It's fine, but it could be a little better."

But Benitez was all praise for the thousands of people who turned out to watch the players train.

"In terms of the fans, I thought they were amazing," he said.

"[I'm] reading a little bit about the... sporting culture here in the country, in the city. You can see the fans enjoying [it]."

The matches in Melbourne fall into the club's pre-season preparation, and Benitez said they would use it as a chance to experiment.

"Pre-season for us is to try new formations, to try players in different positions and players to take on different ideas we're trying to develop," he said.

"There's a lot of things we'd like to work on - one of them is defence, to sure up the defence a bit better."

'Once in a lifetime opportunity' for football fans

Cristiano Ronaldo, seen by some as the game's best player, was among the group to take to the pitch in front of about 10,000 people.

Real Madrid was recently named the world's most valuable sports team by Forbes and reportedly worth $US3.26 billion ($4.42 billion).

Young fan Dion said he was looking forward to seeing Ronaldo in action.

"I'm hoping to get a signature [from everyone]."

"It's awesome," another fan said.

"It's unbelievable, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity. We're ready to enjoy it and support them."

Premier Daniel Andrews was among the onlookers, alongside a number of AFL stars including Bryce Gibbs, Ivan Maric and Trent Cotchin, who taught, or at least tried to teach, the players how to kick an Australian football.