Mourinho Returns to Bernabéu: A New Era for Real Madrid

Real Madrid have barely caught their breath from opening day and the scare against Espanyol, but the club is already bracing for something far more symbolic: the first home game of the season, and Jose Mourinho’s return to the Santiago Bernabéu touchline in an official match.

A lot has shifted since Madrid last played a competitive fixture in Chamartín. New faces in the dugout, new dynamics in the dressing room, a new trident leading the project. The stadium is the same; the power structure around it is not.

The visit of Real Sociedad, a rescheduled Matchday 1 clash postponed because several Madrid stars came back late from the summer’s international commitments, now doubles as Mourinho’s real unveiling in front of his new home crowd.

He knows it. And he knows he’s effectively rebuilding from the ground up.

“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.”

That’s the starting point. The rest, as always with Mourinho, is management – of minutes, egos, tension and noise.

Balancing legs and data

Pressed on how he plans to handle players coming off a heavy World Cup workload, Mourinho went straight to the point: it’s a tightrope.

“You have to do this management well between playing nothing and playing a lot, for example Cucurella. I gave him 30 minutes,” he explained, outlining a case-by-case approach.

“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: trust the numbers, but trust the dressing room more. He wants players to tell him where their bodies are, not just the GPS.

Vinicius in the firing line

The conversation inevitably turned to Vinicius Jr., and the relentless storm that follows him: insults from the stands, rough treatment on the pitch, and a sense that the whistle does not always protect him.

Mourinho did not dodge the subject. He stepped into 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,” 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 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,” Mourinho insisted.

“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.”

He recalled facing Vinicius from the other side of the technical area.

“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.”

For now, he is choosing trust over confrontation with the officials.

“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,” he admitted, before adding a pointed line with a smile that needs no extra context in Spain.

“Yes Negreira, yes friends, I'm not there. I'm totally with the referees.”

A calmer Mourinho, same ruthless edge

On the touchline, Mourinho no longer looks like the volcanic figure who once prowled this same technical area. 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,” he said.

The demand level, though, has not moved an inch.

“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.”

Then there is the luxury problem any coach would kill for: managing what he openly calls one of the best attacking tridents 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.”

The Bernabéu will judge those decisions quickly. Mourinho knows that too.

“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.”

Market closed… unless the phone rings

On transfers, Mourinho sounded satisfied, almost protective of the group he has.

“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.”

For now, the plan is stability. If something breaks that from above, he will adapt. Until then, this is his group.

Valverde, Mbappé, Endrick: pieces on the board

The second half of the press conference drilled into specific players, starting with Federico Valverde and the eternal debate over his position.

“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 said.

“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.”

Temporary fixes, yes. Permanent reinventions, no.

On whether Carlos Espi and Kylian Mbappé can share the pitch, Mourinho opened the door wide.

“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.”

Each forward is a different weapon. The idea is to choose the right one for the right moment – or unleash several at once.

Tchouameni, Endrick and the long view

Aurelien Tchouameni’s situation is more delicate. His World Cup exertions have left a mark, and Mourinho wants to avoid paying the price in autumn for risks taken in winter.

“He has suffered a lot in the World Cup. He risked everything. He played in the semifinals with everything,” the coach explained.

“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%.”

Endrick, another key piece for Madrid’s future, is being handled with similar care.

“There is a specific problem next to the tendon, but it is more of a precaution. He's a player I like so much,” Mourinho said.

“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 message is clear: the present is loaded with stars, but the club’s long-term bets are being guarded fiercely.

Now comes the real test. Mourinho walks back out at the Bernabéu, with Mbappé, Bellingham and Vinicius at his disposal, a fanbase hungry for dominance, and a league already rumbling with refereeing debates and title narratives. How long will this calmer version of Mourinho last once the pressure of Madrid’s season truly bites?