Video: with the "phantom offer!": Real Madrid create a historic first with Mourinho

What's the story?

Real Madrid have begun the new José Mourinho era in unusual fashion. The club presented its Portuguese coach in a private ceremony, away from fans and the media, breaking sharply from a long-established tradition the Spanish giants have followed with their signings and coaching staff.

Spanish newspaper "Sport" report that Real Madrid held their first private welcoming ceremony of the summer, with Mourinho as its central figure, after he signed a contract running until 2029. The club did not present the event in the traditional way. They merely broadcast images of the signing ceremony on their own television channel, without holding a press conference or giving the media any chance to hear from the Portuguese coach.

Behind the change lies a decision by Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez to overhaul how new arrivals are unveiled this summer. He has opted for private ceremonies rather than showpiece events in front of the supporters, a break with what the club has grown used to in recent years.

Major signings would normally get a fan reception at the Santiago Bernabéu, especially when world-class names were involved. That is exactly what happened with Kylian Mbappé two years ago, when the club threw open the stadium doors to celebrate the arrival of the French star.

Not this time. The scene will not be repeated with Real Madrid's new signings, among them Yann Diomandé and Marc Cucurella, even though Diomandé ranks as one of the club's most notable captures of the summer and, reports claim, the most expensive in the team's history bar the Eden Hazard deal.

Pérez's board chose to apply the new policy from the moment Mourinho arrived. The Portuguese returned to lead the sporting project after the president won the latest elections and reshaped the squad, making him the first major figure subjected to this fresh approach to presentations.

Mourinho said nothing during the ceremony, and the event barely surfaced on Real Madrid's official social media accounts. That prompted "Sport" to brand the occasion the "ghost unveiling", a nod to the absence of media and fans.

Supporters and the media now face a wait. Not until Friday 21 August will they hear Mourinho speak for the first time as coach, at the press conference before the opening La Liga fixture against Espanyol.