Jose Mourinho is now here in exchange for 15 million euros. Benfica made it official through a statement. 13 years after his 'goodbye', the Portuguese coach landed back in the Spanish capital on Tuesday afternoon to reclaim the coaching position at Real Madrid. What the Portuguese had been dreaming of for months, fueled by the crisis at the white club and the comparison with Carlo Ancelotti's arrival in 2021, has happened. While the Italian received an unexpected call from José Ángel Sánchez, Mourinho's return was facilitated by a series of direct clashes between his former club, Benfica, and Real Madrid in the Champions League, his strong relationship with Florentino Pérez, and the doubts within the Madrid team's management regarding the choice of the new coach. After the era of the young Xabi Alonso and Álvaro Arbeloa, Madrid is once again entering friendly territory... And uncertainty about the market is growing in the dressing room.
The Chamartín club has activated Mourinho's release clause by paying 15 million euros to Benfica, and the Portuguese coach has signed for the next three years. After the Portuguese club officially announced his departure, he will be presented in the coming days and will begin planning the team's preseason this same week, with daily meetings. The first meeting took place on Tuesday afternoon at a hotel in the center of Madrid with Mendes, José Ángel Sánchez, the club's general director, and Juni Calafat, the head scout. On the agenda were discussions about Julián Álvarez and the stars on the team's wish list.
There will be no traditional North American tour that Madrid has done in recent years, and the players will go directly to the training ground after their holidays. Initially, the core of the first team will start training at the training ground in mid-July, still during the World Cup, and the 10 World Cup players will join at the end of the month after their days off following the tournament.
The La Liga season will start for the whites on the weekend of August 22, a week later than the rest of the clubs that do not have 10 or more internationals, giving Mourinho more time to prepare for the start.
The Portuguese coach arrives in Madrid with his trusted core. Joao Tralhao, his right-hand man, the analyst Roberto Merella, and the fitness coach Antonio Dias. It remains to be seen what this means for Antonio Pintus, the head of physical preparation for the first team during the Ancelotti and Arbeloa era.
There are still uncertainties in his coaching staff, such as the identity of his assistant coach. In his first stint in Madrid, it was Aitor Karanka, and in recent days, the possibility of Pepe, a former player of the white club, has gained strength, although it is not yet confirmed.
Mourinho returns with hunger but also with many more years of experience under his belt. With more calmness. Less combative. Those who know him best admit that this will be noticeable in his day-to-day interactions with the press, although not so much with the squad. The group expects a coach who is firm but also approachable. Someone who demands from them but also defends them. All this in a dressing room that is experiencing some uncertainty in these early weeks of the transfer market. Many players are on the verge of leaving or uncertain about their future, and others are waiting for the club's moves in the market to determine their fate.
Konaté and Dumfries will arrive after the World Cup, and Florentino promised to make an offer of 150 million for a galactic player this week, but much of the news about the squad will revolve around departures, an aspect where Mourinho and the club are in agreement. Hence the nervousness emanating from the team. There is a group of players unsure about their role under the new coach and awaiting a conversation with him to clarify their feelings.