Where Are Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid 2011-12 Title Winners Now?
Jose Mourinho’s return to Real Madrid this summer feels like a trip back in time. It’s been 14 years since he led the club to their only La Liga title under his management, the record-setting 2011–12 campaign that amassed 100 points and 121 goals. This season remains one of the finest in Spanish football history, achieved by outshining Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona.
Despite a rocky end to Mourinho's first spell at the Bernabéu, the memories of that triumphant season still linger. Let’s revisit the main players from that title-winning lineup and see where they are now.
Goalkeeper: Iker Casillas
Iker Casillas featured in 37 league matches that season, keeping 14 clean sheets. He left Real Madrid in 2015 as the club’s second-most capped player but had a tense relationship with Mourinho during the latter’s final season. Nowadays, Casillas is a regular pundit and ambassador for the club. Earlier this year, he publicly opposed Mourinho’s return to Madrid via social media. Once a World Cup winner, Casillas was considered for a senior role at the club before Florentino Pérez’s re-election.
Right Back: Álvaro Arbeloa
Arbeloa played 26 times that season without scoring. He stayed with Madrid until 2016 before ending his playing career at West Ham. Transitioning into coaching, he rose through Real Madrid’s youth ranks to manage the B team. His tenure as Real Madrid’s first-team coach became challenging due to internal conflicts, leading him to accept the manager position at Premier League club Fulham for the upcoming season.
Center Back: Sergio Ramos
The legendary defender made 34 appearances and scored 3 goals that season. After winning five La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues with Madrid, Ramos moved on to Paris Saint-Germain, Sevilla, and most recently Monterrey in Mexico last season. At 40, he has yet to officially retire and has even pursued ownership ambitions, having led an investment group’s attempt to acquire a controlling stake in Sevilla earlier this year.
Center Back: Pepe
Pepe played 29 matches and scored once in that campaign. He remained at Madrid for five more seasons before transferring to Besiktas in 2017. Later, he enjoyed a revival at Porto, playing robustly into his 40s. Recently, he appeared in the Real Madrid Legends match against Barcelona in Miami.
Left Back: Marcelo
Marcelo featured in 32 games, netting three goals. He won three more La Liga titles and five Champions Leagues after 2011–12, accumulating 25 trophies, making him one of the most decorated players in club history. He departed Madrid in 2022, then played for Olympiacos and Fluminense before retiring in 2024. His son Enzo Alves now progresses through Real Madrid’s academy as a forward.
Central Midfield: Sami Khedira
Khedira appeared 28 times, scoring twice. His influence decreased after Luka Modrić and Toni Kroos arrived. He left for Juventus in 2015 and faced Madrid in the 2017 Champions League final. Retiring in 2021, Khedira has worked as a commentator and joined Mourinho’s coaching staff at Madrid this season.
Central Midfield: Xabi Alonso
Alonso played 36 matches, scoring once. A key figure in Madrid’s 2014 Champions League win despite missing the final, he later moved to Bayern Munich. He has become a successful young coach, leading Bayer Leverkusen to an unbeaten Bundesliga title in 2023–24. Appointed Madrid manager in 2025, his spell was brief and marked by public disagreements, including one with Vinícius Júnior. He took over as Chelsea manager ahead of the 2026–27 season.
Right Wing: Ángel Di María
Di María featured in 32 games, scoring seven goals. He left Madrid for Manchester United in 2014, with the 2011–12 title his sole La Liga triumph. He later starred at Paris Saint-Germain and spent time at Benfica until 2025. At 38, he returned to Argentina to play for his boyhood club Rosario Central.
Attacking Midfield: Mesut Özil
Özil was crucial that season with 35 appearances and 4 goals, plus 19 assists—the second-highest in La Liga behind Lionel Messi. His time under Mourinho was turbulent; he recalled being called a “crybaby” and “coward” by the coach. Transferring to Arsenal in 2013 for a club-record fee, he won three FA Cups. Recently, videos showing his post-retirement physical transformation have gone viral.
Left Wing: Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo scored an astonishing 46 league goals in 38 appearances that season, tallying 60 across all competitions. Four of his five Ballon d’Or awards came after this campaign. At 41, he plays for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, though his 2026 World Cup performance was below expectations. The new Portugal manager Jorge Jesus has suggested Ronaldo could continue with the national team.
Striker: Karim Benzema
Benzema made 34 appearances, scoring 21 goals while sharing the frontline duties. Despite criticism early on from Mourinho, he blossomed after Ronaldo’s departure, earning the 2022 Ballon d’Or. With 354 goals, he stands second only to Ronaldo in Madrid’s all-time scoring charts. Like Ronaldo, Benzema now plays in Saudi Arabia, contracted to Al Hilal.
