The present scenario feels surprisingly acquainted for Real Madrid. Barça are dominating the league, whereas Los Blancos themselves have gone two years with out profitable a title. For Real, a disaster! Just like in 2010, José Mourinho is now supposedly meant to supply the reply to the issues. Is it insanity, or truly a masterstroke?
What is past dispute is that the previous famous person amongst coaches is gone his finest. These days, he makes headlines much less by sporting success and extra by his press conferences, interviews, and habits off the pitch. While the latter was additionally true previously, it not looks as if a method for fulfillment, however reasonably a determined try and distance himself from his groups’ failures.
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Most lately, he couldn’t even land jobs in Europe’s prime 5 leagues anymore. And why would he? Over the previous ten years, the now 63-year-old has gained solely 4 trophies: a League Cup and an English Super Cup with Manchester United, plus the Europa League with the Red Devils and the Conference League with AS Roma. Not precisely the sort of silverware individuals dream of at Real.
Whereas Mourinho averaged properly over two factors per recreation throughout his prime, he has solely managed that since leaving Madrid in 2013 with Fenerbahçe and his present membership Benfica. Both golf equipment play in leagues that aren’t on the very highest degree. His bus-parking fashion now feels outdated, particularly if you have a look at matchups just like the Champions League semi-final between PSG and Bayern.
And but, ‘The Athletic’ lately reported that Real president Florentino Pérez favors bringing him again. Fabrizio Romano additionally mentioned that Mourinho might properly think about a comeback. The English information outlet additional reported that the connection between Pérez and Mourinho stays good.
But why does the membership boss assume that of all individuals, the struggling Mourinho might get Real again on observe? After all, even his personal three-year spell in Madrid was marked by surprisingly few trophies. Against Pep Guardiola’s super-Barça aspect, The Special One gained only one league title (2012), one Copa del Rey (2011), and one Spanish Super Cup (2012).
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According to ‘The Athletic’, what Pérez remembers above all is Mourinho’s second season, when he gained the league with 100 factors and 121 objectives, thereby breaking Barça’s dominance. He additionally gained 71.91 p.c of his matches, a report for Real coaches.
The Portuguese is credited with making Los Blancos able to profitable titles once more. After his departure, Real gained the Champions League six instances between 2014 and 2024. Among Real followers, the argument now is that Mourinho laid the inspiration for these successes by bringing a profitable mentality again to the membership.
If he managed to do this once more, it could after all be a masterstroke by Pérez, who has efficiently introduced coaches again earlier than. Carlo Ancelotti and Zinédine Zidane, for instance. Xabi Alonso and Álvaro Arbeloa are additionally mentioned to have lately failed due to the tough characters inside the squad.
Following that line of thought, Mourinho would as soon as once more be the one to unite the highest stars behind him and switch them right into a workforce able to difficult for the Champions League once more. After all, between 2010 and 2013 he additionally reached the semi-finals of Europe’s prime competitors 3 times.
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But is the Mourinho of 2026 actually nonetheless able to the identical feats because the Mourinho of 2010? And we must always not neglect the circumstances below which he left Real again then. According to ‘Sports Illustrated’, he left behind a “disaster” within the dressing room, whereas ‘The Independent’ described his relationship with the gamers as “toxic”.
‘Marca’ reported in January 2013 that Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos had gone to Pérez and demanded the coach’s dismissal on the finish of the season. Basically: both us or him. Something the membership vehemently denied. Mourinho was gone the next summer time anyway.
He had pushed membership icon Casillas apart as goalkeeper and had a really public falling-out with him. The keeper repeatedly confirmed in public that Mourinho had accused him of being a mole for the press. The ‘BBC’ named Ramos and Pepe as different gamers who had issues with the coach, whereas ‘Sports Illustrated’ added Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Is it actually doubtless that somebody like that will now calm any potential conflicts with Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, or Jude Bellingham? Especially after he accused Vini Jr., following the racism scandal involving Gianluca Prestianni, of getting provoked the abuse himself by his provocative celebration?
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And how stable is the idea actually that Mourinho laid the groundwork for Real’s later success? Were these not rather more the achievements of Ancelotti and Zidane? By appointing Mourinho, Pérez would subsequently be taking a significant threat. But choices that hover between genius and insanity are, by their very nature, at all times dangerous.
What is extra: a return of the extroverted coach is on no account a finished deal but. As lately as Friday, he mentioned at a Benfica press convention: “No, no one from Real Madrid has spoken to me, I can guarantee that. I’ve been in football for many years and I’m already used to these things.”
He “can’t say more,” Mourinho added. “As far as Real Madrid is concerned, there is nothing. And as for Benfica, you already know the situation. I still have one more year on my contract at Benfica, that’s all.” That doesn’t sound like a passionate software for a Real job. But it doesn’t sound like a transparent denial both…
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.