Mourinho: Mbappe makes me laugh, Rodri raised my doubts, and I smelled the scent of Negreira!
José Mourinho faced the media for the first time as Real Madrid manager, sitting down with Josep Pedrerol on the programme "El Chiringuito" to discuss his return to the Spanish club, what lies ahead in this new chapter, and everything that comes with one of the toughest jobs in world football.
He arrived with no speech full of promises, no list of guaranteed objectives. He spoke instead about emotions, responsibility and dreams, summing up his position in a single phrase: "I have come with everything I have."
The Portuguese opened the interview by explaining his mindset: "I have come with the love I feel for Real Madrid, with the responsibility that Real Madrid imposes, and with the enthusiasm of a child who has never won anything. I have come with everything, with all that I have. Talking about promises the way it happened 20 years ago is not my style. If you ask me whether I have dreams? Yes, I have dreams."
How has Mourinho changed?
Asked how he has changed, Mourinho reckons he's grown a great deal on both a personal and professional level. But he hasn't lost the essence of who he is.
He said: "I have changed a lot. I think the DNA is still the same, and of course I cannot hide who I really am or try to be someone I am not, but I have become more mature, less emotional and more in control of myself."
Long years of learning have driven that development, Mourinho explained, especially the lessons drawn from his mistakes. He doesn't dwell on regret, because agonising over the past does nothing to move a man forward.
He added: "Learning from experiences, yes. I believe that the more experience you gain as a coach, and the more you go through situations similar to those you have lived through before, the better a coach you become."
The story behind the bruise on Mourinho's face
Mourinho tackled the bruise on his face with a touch of sarcasm, insisting it hadn't come from any brawl.
He said: "No, it wasn't a fight. The bruise on my face was caused by Lacosta, one of the players from the youth team Castilla. He struck a powerful ball towards me, and I was wearing glasses, so the ball hit my face."
Then came the punchline. "But that's not the reason he wasn't called up for the last match," he joked.
A dressing room hungry for victory
Mourinho confirmed that he found a dressing room desperate for victories, praising the players' openness to his ideas.
He said: "I found a dressing room with a strong desire to win, as the final result of the work," adding that it is "a dressing room open to common sense".
The sharper side of his personality has yet to surface. "They protected me from this version of myself, which is also a part of me," he admitted.
His demands of the players are not complicated orders, Mourinho explained. They rely on common sense: arriving well ahead of training time, paying attention to nutrition, and hitting the gym to prevent injuries.
He said: "To ask them to arrive an hour before training and not five minutes before, this is common sense. This is football today. You must arrive early, have breakfast under the supervision of a nutritionist, and go to the gym daily to prevent injuries. This is for you, and this is for us."
Mourinho talks about his first spell
The Portuguese coach cast his mind back to his first spell with Real Madrid, pointing to experience and responsibility as the things that have changed for him.
He said: "I don't know. I don't know if it's that or the responsibility of working at Real Madrid, which for me is something fundamental."
He's relishing the new opportunity. "I love working at Real Madrid very much, I love working for Real Madrid," he said. Asked whether he had sensed anything suspicious about refereeing integrity during his first spell in the Spanish capital, a period that coincides with the "Negreira" case in which Barcelona stand accused of making payments to a former refereeing official, Mourinho replied: "When I was here, I smelt something."
Kylian Mbappé
Mourinho was full of praise for the French star Kylian Mbappé, describing him as an exceptional player.
"Mbappé is amazing. Sometimes he makes me laugh in training," he said, before explaining why. "Because he is so good, his level is from another planet."
He refused to sit in judgement on last season, choosing instead to look ahead and spread the blame for what unfolded.
"I do not have the right to judge or analyse what he did last season," he said. "It was a strange and difficult season for everyone. In the end, the story is always the same, Arbeloa and Xabi Alonso paid the price. Winning or losing has many factors."
Commitment is what he wants to build in this new phase. "Many people made mistakes last season," he added.
On the striker's readiness, Mourinho spotted an encouraging sign before a ball had even been kicked. "A player who could have turned up on 14 August, but arrived on the 12th, that tells me a lot," he said.
Rodri
Mourinho addressed the team's plans and the transfer market, stressing that he sees no need for a player like Rodri, who preferred a move to Barcelona.
He said: "No, I don't miss Rodri. We have solutions, and we have the quality."
"I like to think that I have the ability to develop the players I already have," he added.
Twice he had spoken with Rodri, Mourinho revealed. Real Madrid tabled a significant offer to the player, and his relationship with Manchester City remains good.
He said: "I spoke with him twice, and Real Madrid made him a very good offer. I think there is a very good relationship with City. The club contacted Rodri without negotiating with City, and made him a significant offer."
Rodri's hesitation bred doubt in Mourinho too. "Rodri had doubts, he hesitated, and Rodri's doubts made me doubt too," he said.
"Real Madrid is a club of such stature that it does not allow the presence of players who think twice about their decision," he added.
Pedrerol asked whether Rodri's decision counted as a victory for Barcelona. Mourinho responded decisively: "Victories are on the pitch, they are the titles. That is where the victories are."
Vinícius contract renewal
Mourinho also touched on Vinicius Junior's contract renewal, denying he played any part in persuading the player to stay.
He said: "He renewed his contract thanks to me? No. Vinicius is in love with Real Madrid."
The Portuguese continued: "I only told him: Vini, where do you want to go? You've been in Brazil and at Real Madrid, and you know what Real Madrid means when you leave it, and it's not worth it."
Watching the group around him grow, Mourinho added, gave Vinicius a positive and important reason to stay put.
Bréestani, the referees and Vinícius
Mourinho also revisited his dispute with the Brazilian from months ago, when he defended Benfica's Argentine forward Prestianni after the Brazilian was involved in an alleged racist incident in the Champions League.
He said: "The answer is simple. Prestianni was my player, and that's the end of it. There is nothing else to discuss. Now Vini knows which side I'm on. The other day, when a penalty was not awarded to him, I was in the middle of the pitch fighting for him."
His defence of Vinicius carried a message to the referees: "People have to learn how to deal with him, and I'm talking here about the referees. You cannot award a penalty to one player and not award it to Vinicius, and protect one player and not protect Vinicius. They don't respect him."
Mourinho had advice for his player too, saying: "As for the stadiums, there is a difference between celebrating a goal with your teammates and celebrating in front of the opposing team's fans."
