Mourinho returned to Real Madrid ahead of the 2026–27 La Liga season
José Mourinho has returned as head coach of Real Madrid ahead of the start of the 2026/27 La Liga season. According to Al Jazeera English, the club brought in the Portuguese coach after two seasons without major trophies and aims to prevent Barcelona from winning the Spanish league title for the third consecutive time.
Mourinho’s previous stint with Real Madrid also began after a two-year trophy drought. From 2011 to 2013, the team under his leadership won La Liga once and reached the Champions League semifinals three times in a row. According to the publication, Mourinho took over the club after a disappointing previous season, during which Álvaro Arbeloa replaced Xabi Alonso.
During the preseason, Real Madrid won the Teresa Herrera Trophy, defeating Deportivo La Coruña 1–0. The match was a friendly, and 19 substitutions were made during the game. Al Jazeera describes Mourinho’s style as more conservative, with a strong emphasis on defense.
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Real Madrid has added defenders Marc Cucurella, Denzel Dumfries, and Ibrahima Konaté, as well as Bernardo Silva and Yann Diomande. Cucurella is expected to replace Ferland Mendy on the left side of the defense, while Dumfries could serve as an alternative to Trent Alexander-Arnold on the right, while Konaté will compete for a spot in the center of the defense with Dean Giesen and Antonio Rüdiger.
In attack, Mourinho will have Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, Jude Bellingham, Brahim Díaz, Endrick, Arda Güler, and Rodrigo at his disposal. Mbappé scored 42 goals for Real Madrid last season and also netted 10 goals for the French national team at the World Cup. At the same time, Real Madrid’s goal tally in La Liga dropped from 87 goals in the 2023–24 season to 78 the following season and 77 last year.
Among the questions heading into the season, Al Jazeera highlights Mbappé’s role as the spearhead of the attack, the possibility of using Bellingham more actively in the attack, and competition in midfield following the arrival of Bernardo Silva. The publication also notes that Arda Güler played in 51 matches last season, but Silva’s arrival could reduce his playing time.
