Florentino Pérez was wrong. Last season, the president of Real Madrid bet on Xabi Alonso to lead the Casa Blanca pennant team. The former midfielder ticked all the boxes in the eyes of the Madrid boss. The latter was seduced by his young profile, his great potential, his playing philosophy, but also the fact that he is Spanish and a veteran of the house. Unfortunately, the mayonnaise didn’t completely set with it. Part of the locker room, led by Vinicius Jr and Fede Valverde, had the skin of the former Bayer Leverkusen coach, who was let go by his president. At that time, some voices were raised to criticize Florentino Pérez, who preferred to sacrifice his coach very quickly rather than put certain executives back in place.
Things did not improve later when Alvaro Arbeloa was chosen to succeed him. If a few players were delighted, especially Vinicíus Junior, others had big problems with him, including Kylian Mbappé, Dani Carvajal and Dani Ceballos. The results were not there and the tension rose a notch until the implosion of the locker room after the double altercation between Fede Valverde and Aurélien Tchouameni. Upset, the residents of the Santiago Bernabéu stadium sanctioned the players. But they also decided to entrust the team to a new coach once the summer comes. Several names quickly came out of the hat, including that of Didier Deschamps. But it is above all those of Jürgen Klopp and José Mourinho who have come back the most.
First disagreement between Pérez and Mourinho
Very quickly, the German was excluded from the debates, he who then agreed to take control of his country’s selection. On the other hand, the track leading to Special One has become more serious. During the presidential campaign, Pérez formalized his desire to bring back the Portuguese with whom he had already collaborated for the first time between 2010 and 2013. Thirteen years later, the Setúbal native made his return to the Spanish capital, after having settled his departure from Benfica. “The board of directors of Real Madrid CF, meeting this Thursday June 11 and chaired by Florentino Pérez, decided to appoint José Mourinho coach of the first team for the next three seasons, until June 30, 2029”we could read in the press release published on June 11.
But as with all coaches, who are constantly judged, nothing says that he will complete his contract. Especially since in Spain, reports indicate the first tensions between Mourinho and his president. Indeed, Mundo Deportivo wrote this Thursday that there is already a first disagreement between the two men, without specifying the subject of the problem. The sporting situation after two defeats in the last four matches and the delay over Barça before the Clasico in a few weeks would play a role. Not to mention the fact that Perez, very criticized in Spain, but also by certain personalities within the club concerning his errors in the transfer window (missing Rodri in particular, editor’s note), is under pressure and therefore expects his coach, whom he chose personally, to succeed in his mission. We are not at the divorce stage, but the first tensions have appeared between the president and his coach, who did not have all the players he wanted this summer.
