Will Mourinho Succeed at Real Madrid?

The Spanish newspaper 'AS' highlighted in its report the return of Portuguese coach José Mourinho to coaching Real Madrid, amidst anticipation regarding the coach's ability to integrate within the locker room and avoid early clashes.

According to the source, Real Madrid's management conducted a comprehensive search in the coaching market to select a name to lead the new project, settling on Mourinho despite him not being at his best recently, having moved between several clubs before reaching Benfica, away from the pinnacle of European football.

This choice is partially based on the club's experience with coach Carlo Ancelotti, who returned from a stint with Everton and succeeded in leading Real Madrid to win the Champions League twice, reinforcing the idea of betting on names with great experience even if they are not at the top at the time of contracting.

However, the report indicates that Mourinho is not Ancelotti, given his strong personality and confrontational style, which previously caused tensions in the Real Madrid locker room during his first tenure, with several stars such as Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Pepe, and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The newspaper emphasized in its report that the current situation is different, as no player from the 2013 generation remains in the team, which might reduce the 'old sensitivities,' but there remain some potential hot spots with the current generation.

Among the prominent issues that may pose a challenge for Mourinho is the relationship with Brazilian star Vinicius Junior, especially after the controversy that accompanied a previous Champions League encounter when he was coaching Benfica, followed by statements in which the player was considered 'controversial' due to his celebration style.

The source concluded that managing the relationship with Vinicius will be a priority for Mourinho if he returns, given the sensitivity of the racism issue and its impact within the locker room, making this point an early test for the success of his new project at Real Madrid.