August 20, 2026, two days before Mourinho returns to Real Madrid for his coaching debut. Discussions are lively on social media and sports forums, but more people are waiting to see the jokes.
Two months ago, when Mourinho announced his takeover of Real Madrid, there was constant questioning. The debut against the Spaniards is approaching, and various negative remarks are more frequent. Mourinho returned to the Bernabeu on July 13 to start training with the team, playing six warm-up matches in more than a month and scoring 5 wins and 1 draw, but these results did not attract much attention. People are more concerned about his past: the last time he won a top league title was 11 years ago, and five of the last six coaches left without completing their contracts. How can a resume like this hold Real Madrid's current locker room?
Real Madrid has young superstars such as Mbappe, Bellingham, and Venetius, who are unlikely to obey the command of the old commander. Especially Mbappe, with the honor of joining the World Cup, is the first in the world, and many people are curious about how Mourinho responds. Tactically, modern football emphasizes high grabs and full field possession, while Mourinho's defensive counter-attack strategy is considered obsolete. In addition, six players are currently injured in Real Madrid, the main center guard Militon is also recovering from his injuries, the core players in the front court have not yet been trained, and the lineup is incomplete.
Whenever Mourinho takes over a new job, similar questions arise. However, he never received the teaching whip when everything was ready. His success in Porto and Inter proved his ability: in 2004, a group of unknown people in Porto finally won the Champions League; in 2010, Inter Milan's veterans won the triple crown without being optimistic. When he coached Real Madrid for the first time, he broke Barca's La Liga triple crown dream.
