Mourinho Returns to Bernabéu: A New Era Begins
Real Madrid are about to walk out at the Santiago Bernabéu for the first time this season, and everything feels different. New cycle, new faces, same unforgiving expectations.
After a nervous opening win away to Espanyol, Madrid now host Real Sociedad in what is officially their rescheduled Matchday 1 fixture, pushed back because several stars returned late from international duty. The football calendar rarely waits. This time, it did.
At Valdebebas, on the eve of his Bernabéu return, Jose Mourinho cut a more measured figure than the firebrand many remember. But the message was sharp.
“We start from scratch, although it is not from scratch, people already have feelings,” he said. “There is a willingness to do things right and to support the team.”
A reset, but not a blank slate.
Managing tired legs and heavy calendars
The conversation quickly moved to workload management, especially for players who went deep into the World Cup and are still paying the physical price.
“You have to do this management well between playing nothing and playing a lot, for example Cucurella. I gave him 30 minutes,” Mourinho explained.
He stressed that his decisions are not guesswork: “My vision is mixed with data and with what the players tell me, the knowledge that each one has of himself.”
It is classic Mourinho: control every variable you can, and listen closely to the ones you cannot.
Vinicius Jr. at the centre of the storm
No topic in Spanish football has burned hotter than Vinicius Jr. – the insults from the stands, the rough treatment on the pitch, the sense that whistles and cards do not arrive at the same speed for him as for others.
Mourinho did not dodge it. He went straight in.
“The reaction of the normal public can be controlled. Vinicius' relationship with the rival stand can improve. But the kicks, insults, and aggressions are due to the referee,” he said.
“Justice must be given. It is the referee who has to protect the players and the game. You can work on your relationship with your adversaries.”
Then came the football side. Mourinho has studied Vinicius closely.
“Last season I saw every match of Madrid and Barcelona. But what I have seen now, in preseason, it is obvious that there is a difference between Vinicius and other players.”
He described a pattern that, in his eyes, has become entrenched.
“A dynamic has been entered, the opponents know they can. If they foul Vini, the yellow card arrives after making 10 fouls. It's a treatment I don't like.”
From the outside, when he was at Benfica, his view was narrower.
“When I was Benfica coach, I was only interested in Benfica. Vini may have more control, but if it's a kick and aggression, it's expulsion.”
The Portuguese coach insisted he still trusts the officials, even as he pointed at what he sees as an unfair trend.
“After seeing the last game, I really liked the refereeing. I trust the Spanish refereeing. I always trust the referee. After the game sometimes there are things I don't like.”
“Yes Negreira, yes friends, I'm not there. I'm totally with the referees.”
The shot was deliberate. The backing for Vinicius, too.
A calmer Mourinho, but the edge remains
If his words on Vinicius carried bite, Mourinho also portrayed himself as a man who has learned to hold back.
“I have been feeling calmer for years, with more control of my emotions. But it's not something new. Now I face difficult situations or frustrations, because we have not yet lost.”
He knows his reputation, and he knows what can trigger it.
“I don't like laziness, I like people who work for Real Madrid. So far I haven't seen laziness, everyone gives everything. And everyone protects me from my dark side. I feel good like this.”
From there, the discussion turned to luxury problems: how to manage what he called perhaps the best attacking trident in the world.
“The most complicated thing is when you don't have top-level players. That has happened to me in other teams. Not here. I want all three of them (Mbappé, Bellingham, Vinicius) and I am here to make decisions.”
Three superstars, one ball, one coach. The kind of headache he enjoys.
The Bernabéu return and the transfer window
His comeback to the Bernabéu could easily have been framed as a personal event. Mourinho refused that angle.
“I don't want the Bernabeu to receive me in a particular way, I want it to receive the team as its team, with its passion.”
The market, though, still hovers over every squad decision.
“It's still open, you never know what you can go through. At the moment everything is closed, but the president or José Ángel can call me to tell me that there is an offer for one. For me, the market is closed. I would like to stay with this squad this season.”
He spoke like a coach who knows his group, likes it, and does not want late surprises.
Mourinho returns to the Santiago Bernabéu with a squad he clearly intends to own.
Valverde, Mbappé, Carlos Espi: fitting the pieces
The second half of the press conference zoomed in on specific players. Federico Valverde came first.
“I don't like it when they make him play on the right back. It has happened to him in the past. For me, he is a midfield player. He can be more positional, or more mobile.”
He then broadened the idea to modern flexibility: “Teams must have solutions. A full-back is a full-back, but today he can be a winger. Or like Trent, who can play inside.”
On whether Carlos Espi and Kylian Mbappé can share the pitch, Mourinho was open.
“We can see them together, or with Endrick. Carlos has a different profile, it was perfect for how the game against Espanyol was. I thought Carlos could be important at that time to suffocate the rival.”
That one line summed up his thinking: roles tailored to game states, not just names on a teamsheet.
Tchouameni and Endrick: patience and protection
Aurelien Tchouameni’s situation is still shaped by his World Cup efforts. Mourinho underlined the price the midfielder paid.
“He has suffered a lot in the World Cup. He risked everything. He played in the semifinals with everything.”
Now comes the cautious phase.
“He has a setback, the player is ready to play and could have continued, but we believe he should start the season at 100%. We have decided with him and the staff to wait, so that he returns a week or two later, but 100%.”
The same protective tone appeared when he spoke about Endrick and the youngster’s current issue.
“There is a specific problem next to the tendon, but it is more of a precaution. He's a player I like so much.”
Then he underlined just how highly the club value him.
“He has had so many, so many offers from clubs. I didn't want to give in. I'm sure he's going to get to Carlo Ancelotti's first call. He will call me directly.”
Madrid step back into their stadium with Mourinho on the touchline, Vinicius in the spotlight, Mbappé and Bellingham ready to ignite, and a coach who insists he has changed without losing his edge. The question now is simple: how fast can this “scratch” version of Real Madrid start to look unstoppable?
