Behind the scenes of the new era: how did Mourinho change Real Madrid?
The veteran coach has succeeded, so far, where Alonso and Arbeloa failed.
Certainty is growing within Real Madrid that the return of Jose Mourinho to the manager's seat at the Bernabeu was exactly what the club needed, according to prominent journalist for Spain's"AS", Jose Felix Diaz.
One phrase does the rounds at Valdebebas day after day, Diaz says: "Real Madrid's best summer signing was the coach." They say it with complete conviction. It confirms a decision taken despite the many critical voices when the club announced in late April that Mourinho would lead them. In less than two months, the Portuguese has won everyone over.
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Diaz continued: "What happens on the pitch is what will deliver the final verdict. But the belief that the club made the right decision continues to grow internally, especially in the dressing room, and in the daily rhythm of a team that now appears fully committed to fighting from the first minute to the last, whether in matches or in training."
How Mourinho changed Real Madrid
Daily life at Valdebebas bears little resemblance to the mood around the club a year ago. Xabi Alonso never managed to build genuine communication. He failed to become part of the dynamic that must always exist between a club and its coach, and the general atmosphere slowly rotted as a result, the article says.
He added: "The players are the first to sense the state of this relationship, and when they see it beginning to fall apart, they detach and stop working as a group. This happened even during the Club World Cup in the summer of 2025, creating a persistent sense of uncertainty within Real Madrid, among the officials and also among those who exert influence in their own way: the players. Alvaro Arbeloa tried to change things, but the dressing room faced many similar circumstances, and history repeated itself."
Diaz went on: "Mourinho arrived, and as this newspaper (AS) previously reported, he immediately changed the habits, rules and routines. His aim was to restore the players' respect for the crest, as well as a sense of internal responsibility, in an attempt to awaken a team that had become idle and detached, and which over the previous two seasons had largely been operating on its own terms. He also sat down with each player to explain exactly what he expected of him, while those he initially considered surplus to requirements were given the chance to change his mind."
He continued: "The result is a growing sense of certainty that the decision to change the coach, and to return in a way to the past, was the best move for the club since the return of Carlo Ancelotti himself, which came almost by chance. The Italian and the Portuguese arrived after having practically offered themselves to the club, though in Mourinho's case this was through Jorge Mendes, the influential agent who played a key role in bringing the coach back to the Bernabeu."
An old friendship
He went on: "Unlike many other coaches who have passed through Real Madrid, Florentino Perez and Mourinho maintained contact, albeit intermittent, throughout 13 years of separation. Messages were always exchanged at the right moments. The relationship was like that of an old friend: even if you rarely hear from him, you never doubt that he is there when you need him."
Diaz added: "All of this helped pave the way for a return that included, like Ancelotti's return before it, an element of luck. In Mourinho's case, Zinedine Zidane had already committed to the French national team. As for Ancelotti's case, none of the alternative candidates was able to convince the decision-makers."
He concluded: "On his return, the coach (Mourinho) did not simply seek to impose his authority, but began to persuade, communicate and build consensus. His first request, besides abolishing fines as a form of punishment and ensuring that all injured players complete their rehabilitation at Valdebebas, was to use Bernardo Silva as a deep-lying defensive midfielder. And based on what followed, perhaps the idea was not so bad after all."
