Jose Mourinho talks Mbappe, Vinicius, Trent, Ballon d’Or ahead of Racing Club vs Real Madrid
After a somewhat inconsistent start to the 2026-27 season, Real Madrid finally seem to be getting back into their stride under the experienced stewardship of Jose Mourinho. The team has been on a winning run since the loss to Atletico Madrid before the start of the September international break, and enjoyed a particularly memorable win against an in-form FC Barcelona side in their last game.
Following the 2-1 win at Spotify Camp Nou, the Merengues are now set to return to action in La Liga with a game against Racing Club. As Diario AS has reported, Jose Mourinho addressed his customary press conference ahead of this match and talked about several aspects related to his team.
The Portuguese coach started by praising his upcoming opponents, the recently promoted Racing Santander side:
“We’re doing well and working well. We’ve prepared properly for this match. And what you say is important. Five matches since they were promoted to La Liga; five matches at El Sardinero: three wins and two draws. They’ve been playing well, with a great connection with their fans. A Sunday afternoon match, which is something we’re no longer particularly accustomed to. And it will be difficult.
“As I said after our last win, that victory will have great significance if we win again. If we now drop the points we picked up last weekend, it won’t mean the same thing. We have to respect Racing. They have a very specific way of playing. And judging by their manager’s words, they’re going to approach the match with the ambition of winning. We won’t be caught by surprise by how difficult this game will be.”
The Real Madrid coach gave his opinion on Harry Kane winning the Ballon d’Or:
“Look… I’ve had the privilege of working with Harry. He’s a great player, a great professional and a great person. Obviously, I’m disappointed that my player hasn’t won, but I also have to be honest and say that I’m very happy for Harry. He’s a player and a person who deserves some happiness at this stage of his career, at 31 or 32 years of age. This is the icing on the cake for his career.
“On the other hand, I think… (pause) Kylian is Kylian. Kylian is unique. If we have a Ballon d’Or every season, then fine. Some players have won it more than once: Messi, Cristiano, Ronaldo Nazário, Platini… There are players who have won it repeatedly. But we have a Ballon d’Or winner every year. The greatest goalscorer in World Cup history, however, is just one person. There’s nothing else like it; there’s only one. It’s something absolutely unique, and Kylian is unique.
“As for the Ballon d’Or voting, the thing that surprised me and left me even more astonished was Jude Bellingham finishing eleventh. No comment. We’ll leave it there.”
Mourinho expressed his satisfaction with how his team has reacted to the encouraging win against Barcelona:
“No. Since we started, initially winning matches and then losing some, I’ve always seen the same thing. Obviously, people’s faces change a little depending on whether they’ve won or lost, and that’s normal. But I’ve always seen the same empathy, the same respect, the same willingness to work and the same balance, in victory and defeat. In that respect, I don’t think we’re a particularly mature team in terms of having highly experienced players.
“We’re generally a young team. But I’ve always seen a team mature enough to remain calm during difficult moments, and calm in moments of glory, if we can call them that. In Barcelona, after the match, obviously it was a happy dressing room celebrating. But afterwards, it was the bus, the plane, a day off, back to training, a normal training session, with the same concentration and motivation.
“When we started focusing on the Santander match, I saw seriousness and excellent technical and tactical work. This maturity makes me very happy. As I said at the press conference in Barcelona, our objective this season isn’t to beat Barcelona in one match; our objective is to win the league. That’s the path we’re trying to follow.”
The Portuguese coach recognized that playing so many away games can be dangerous for the team:
“Obviously, it’s dangerous. Every match is dangerous, whether at home or away. But when you play away, you also have to factor in the opposition’s supporters. The opponents feel more comfortable with their own fans behind them. Racing are a team who haven’t lost at home. When we go to Athens, AEK will play the derby against Panathinaikos tomorrow, so they’ll either be happy or in crisis.
“Playing on Wednesday and arriving back on Thursday morning… it’s an accumulation of difficulties that we’re aware of. It will be difficult, but that’s where our resilience comes in, along with our determination to be intelligent. It will be difficult, very difficult. I think playing four consecutive away matches is an almost unique situation.
“And regarding the schedule… we should have played yesterday, but we’re playing today; we should have played Valencia on Sunday, but we’re playing on Saturday. They’ve taken away two days and crammed three matches into seven days. That’s a tremendous gift they’ve given us, whether it’s La Liga or the television broadcasters, I don’t know. But it’s a gift we have to deal with.”
The Real Madrid tactician also commented on how he has changed over the years:
“(Laughs) As the years have gone by, I’ve become more… more balanced when it comes to not caring what people say. If they criticise me, it doesn’t affect me. If they say I’ve done this, this and this, and that in Barcelona I did this, this and this, I no longer pay attention. Honestly. I still think the credit for Barcelona belongs to the players. If I leave a match feeling that I’ve helped, I leave very happy.
“But I’m completely balanced. I’m neither more attacking nor more defensive. The defensive manager from my first spell is the same one who won 100 points and scored 120-odd goals. I’d love to win that many points and score that many goals this season.
“Where I’m different is that I’m no longer stubborn. I’m open to studying things and drawing conclusions from what I see, hear and discuss. Sometimes it’s not just about listening, but also sensing the players’ work. That’s all. I’m calm, and I want the team to be calm too.”
Mourinho commented on reports of Trent Alexander-Arnold looking to leave in January:
“First of all, it hurts me. I don’t like creating negative feelings for players; I want to create positive ones. Obviously, when you build a squad with two players for each position and then play a third, that’s something I don’t like. But there are things that are more important than those feelings, things that matter more to the team at a particular moment.
“I thought that, right now, changing the midfield and putting Fede in there was the right decision. I was thinking about the team, not the players. Trent and Dumfries accepted it well when I explained that it was a decision made for the team, not against them.
“In the end, they’ll all play. Tomorrow, Valverde won’t start, and one of the others will. Against Barcelona, circumstances meant that Dumfries ended up playing, while Trent got a few minutes. I don’t think either of them will ask to leave. Given how demanding the season is, with so many matches and these ‘gifts’, there will be suspensions, fatigue and some injuries… In the end, everyone will play. I don’t think we’ll have that kind of situation.”
When asked if he had found his ideal starting lineup, the Portuguese manager assured that this was not the case:
“No… I don’t think about Vinicius’s individual situation. I don’t have a fixed starting eleven. Today’s starting eleven could be different in a couple of weeks. Football today isn’t what it was 20 years ago. It’s more intense and faster, with much greater physical demands. The idea of being able to name a team’s starting eleven from memory, as people did many years ago, is very difficult nowadays. That’s why it’s so difficult to identify a fixed eleven.
“As I said, I get the feeling that the team is better when I have midfielders with different characteristics. That’s a principle of mine. But calling them ‘first-choice players’? No, I don’t think in those terms.
“Vinicius’s situation is very straightforward right now: he doesn’t play in La Liga, but he does in the Champions League. And I want him, I really want him. I want his suspension to end quickly because I want and need him. That doesn’t mean he’ll necessarily start, but it doesn’t mean he’ll be a problem either. He’s a great player, and we’ll have him in a very good squad.”
When asked about the controversy surrounding Kylian Mbappe and China, the Real Madrid coach was satisfied with how the situation was being handled:
“Peace of mind, because my club is Real Madrid and my player at home is Kylian Mbappé. Both Real Madrid and Kylian Mbappé showed class with their immediate reactions, and I feel very well represented by both.”
Mourinho also assured that this situation was not affecting Mbappe too much:
“No. Kylian is very intelligent and mature. He has a very high level of self-confidence, and at the same time, he has class. The way he interpreted the Ballon d’Or result for Harry showed me nothing but class and respect. It’s one thing to know you’re the best, and another to respect someone who has also done a great deal to win a trophy. All I see in him is class.
“And then there’s the situation with China… These are the dangers of today’s world, where often the best thing you can do is keep your mouth shut because so many things you say or comment on can carry risks. But I’ve also seen him act very responsibly towards a club that has shown great class in this matter. As far as we’re concerned, that’s it. There’s nothing more for us to do.”
The Real Madrid coach was clear that Vinicius’ absence is not a good thing for his team:
“No, no. I don’t see it that way. I see a group working to become a group of players, both those who play and those who are left out. Everyone follows the same playing model: how you press, where you position the defensive block, how you build up play… It’s something that’s developing. Then you change two or three players, and nothing changes. That’s the objective.”
Jose Mourinho came out unscathed from one of the most challenging games of the season against FC Barcelona. Now, hopefully, he will continue leading Real Madrid to more wins, starting with the game against Racing Club.
