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25 August 2026

After 4,834 days, Jose Mourinho will again take charge of Real Madrid in an official match at the Santiago Bernabeu. A gap of 13 years and nearly three months separates the 4-2 victory over Osasuna on 1 June 2013 from the scheduled home meeting with Real Sociedad on 26 August 2026.

Mourinho says he is now "calmer" and "not the same man", but anyone hearing him speak could still have reason to doubt that. At 63, the Special One remains combative, at times intimidating, and still knows how to direct the debate towards the issues he considers most important.

That was evident on Tuesday morning in Madrid. The Portuguese manager faced all of the main talking points surrounding Los Blancos and opened with the subject of refereeing. There was criticism first, followed by a show of confidence.

MOURINHO IN HIS OWN WORDS:

"It is the first home game, but only one of 19. Every point matters," the charismatic coach said about his first match at home since returning to Real Madrid.

"The objective is to win, while respecting a team that deserves respect. They have identity and great players. In our visit to Espanyol we felt the support of their fans, and now we want the same on our side. I want a team with hunger, attitude, resilience, strength and calmness."

Mourinho then addressed refereeing: "It is obvious that Vinicius Junior is treated differently compared to others. We have entered a spiral: opponents feel they can [foul Vinicius] and they do. This is like dealing with small children: they only go where we allow them to go. I do not like it. He was kicked against Espanyol, and that was a sending-off. Apart from that and one or two details, I liked the refereeing. I understand the referee did not see that foul, but VAR did not do its job properly. But I trust Spanish refereeing."

Vinicius Jr remains a constant talking point in world football, and Mourinho continued on the Brazilian forward: "We have to work on his relationship with opposing stadiums. He can improve in that regard. He hears homophobic and racist comments, so he has to control himself. Me, calmer? That is not new. I control my emotions better. Difficult moments will come, but I feel the people at Real Madrid are protecting me from my darker side [laughs]."

Mourinho also said he was "happy" with his squad and had made no request for any new signings.

The coach was also asked about how Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius fit together: "The most difficult thing is not having top players or dealing with a serious injury to one of them. I do not want to reveal too much to our opponents. I always want the three of them in a good place mentally, and I will be here to help them."

The next topic was another major figure in the squad, Fede Valverde: "Out of necessity, some coaches have trained him as a right-back. For me, Fede is a midfielder. It will depend on the objectives and the opposition. He can be more positional or not. Teams need solutions; a full-back today can be a winger or play inside, like Trent Alexander-Arnold."

There was also discussion about younger players, including Endrick: "He has a muscle problem that affects his tendon. He is a player I like very much. He had interest from many other clubs, but I want to keep him, which is why he was neither loaned out nor sold. I do not know if he will be called up by Brazil by Ancelotti, but Carlo is a friend of mine and he will speak to me directly."

Finally, the conversation turned to new signing and young forward Carlos Espi: "He can play with Mbappe. In pre-season, I paired Endrick with Mbappe. Espi is a different type of player. In the last match, Espanyol defended deep and Mbappe dropped back trying to create something on his own. I felt Espi could be important."