Mourinho Returns to Bernabéu: Building a Superteam from Scratch
Real Madrid have barely caught their breath from the opening scare at Espanyol and they are already staring at something far more symbolic: the first home game of the season, the first night back at the Santiago Bernabéu, and the first time this new era walks out in front of its own people.
A lot has changed since Madrid last played here. New face on the bench. New hierarchy in the dressing room. New expectations.
The opponent, Real Sociedad, arrive for what is officially Matchday 1 – a fixture postponed because several Madrid stars came back late from their summer exertions. The delay has only sharpened the spotlight on the man in the technical area.
Jose Mourinho, back in white, knows it.
“We start from scratch”
Facing the media ahead of the rescheduled clash, Mourinho was asked how far along he is in imposing his ideas on this squad. He did not pretend the process is anything but a rebuild.
“We start from scratch, although it is not from scratch, people already have feelings. There is a willingness to do things right and to support the team.”
The message is clear: the slate is being wiped, but not burned. Old habits, old emotions, are still there. He wants to channel them, not erase them.
Managing minutes is his first big test. Several players arrive off the back of a heavy World Cup load, and Mourinho made it clear he will lean on both numbers and intuition.
“You have to do this management well between playing nothing and playing a lot, for example Cucurella. I gave him 30 minutes.
“My vision is mixed with data and with what the players tell me, the knowledge that each one has of himself.”
The science matters. So does the conversation.
Vinicius in the firing line
One name dominated the room: Vinicius Jr.
The Brazilian’s treatment has been a running theme in Spanish football – the insults from the stands, the rough challenges, the sense that refereeing decisions tilt against him. Mourinho did not dodge it.
“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.
“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 praise, and a warning.
“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.
“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 a rival coach at Benfica to the man now tasked with protecting him, Mourinho’s perspective has shifted.
“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.”
He even found room for a pointed aside on the wider refereeing climate in Spain.
“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 irony was impossible to miss. So was the underlying message: protect the talent.
A calmer Mourinho, same edge
On the touchline, Mourinho has looked different. Less fire, more ice. He knows it, and he embraces it.
“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.”
Then came a glimpse of the old Mourinho – the one obsessed with standards.
“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 conversation turned to the luxury problem any coach would kill for: managing 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.”
Those decisions start under the Bernabéu lights.
“I don't want the Bernabéu to receive me in a particular way, I want it to receive the team as its team, with its passion.”
On the transfer market, he tried to shut the door, while leaving it ajar for the club’s powerbrokers.
“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.”
Roles, rivals and the World Cup toll
Once the big themes were done, the press conference drilled into individuals. 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.”
Mourinho then broadened the point, underlining how modern football forces flexibility but should not confuse identities.
“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.”
From there, the talk moved to the attack again: could Carlos Espi and Kylian Mbappé play together?
“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.”
In midfield, Aurelien Tchouameni’s situation is a reminder of the price of going deep at a World Cup.
“He has suffered a lot in the World Cup. He risked everything. He played in the semifinals with everything.
“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%.”
Patience now, to avoid problems later.
Endrick, the next call
Finally, Mourinho was asked about Endrick, currently sidelined but very much in Madrid’s plans.
“There is a specific problem next to the tendon, but it is more of a precaution. He's a player I like so much.
“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.”
The Bernabéu will see new faces and familiar ghosts when Real Sociedad arrive. Mourinho insists he has changed. His squad is loaded. The questions now move from the press room to the pitch – and in this stadium, the answers never stay private for long.
