Real Madrid relies on Mourinho's return to dethrone Barcelona
After two seasons without winning any major trophy, Real Madrid launched a rebuilding campaign that materialized in the return of Jose Mourinho and several summer reinforcements, aiming to wrestle the Spanish title from Barcelona, led by Hansi Flick, in a race that once again appears confined to the two giants.
After 13 years, the “Special One” returns to Madrid with a mission largely similar to his past endeavors: to end Barcelona’s dominance at any cost, the Spanish champions in the previous two seasons, and help the capital club return to the path of trophies.
The 63-year-old Portuguese manager, known for his sharp personality and leadership skills, has been tasked with restoring discipline to a dressing room that witnessed divisions, and rebuilding a competitive squad. He will have new weapons to try to replicate the achievement he accomplished in 2012 when he won the La Liga title with 100 points and his team scored 121 goals.
Before launching his league campaign the day after tomorrow (Saturday) at Espanyol’s ground, Real Madrid has already completed its biggest transfer window since 2021, signing Ivory Coast winger Youssouf Fofana (19), Spanish World Cup winner Marc Cucurella, French defender Ibrahima Konate, Portuguese midfielder Bernardo Silva, Dutch full-back Denzel Dumfries, and young Spanish striker Carlos Espinosa.
Pre-season matches have offered a first glimpse of Mourinho’s new squad, which appeared more aggressive, decisive, and direct compared to recent seasons, with French striker Kylian Mbappe as a lethal attacking weapon.
However, the former Chelsea and Inter Milan manager will face the same dilemmas that confronted his predecessors, Italians Carlo Ancelotti and Spaniards Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa, who all failed to find the necessary balance to field the three stars Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, and Jude Bellingham together without disrupting the team’s equilibrium.
On the other hand, Barcelona, led by German coach Hansi Flick, enters the competition confident in its collective strength and its highly attacking philosophy, which led to success in the past two seasons, thanks to the technical quality of Pedri and the genius of Lamine Yamal.
To this cohesive system, which relies on the core of the Spanish national team that won the World Cup for the second time (Pau Cubarsi, Pedri, Dani Olmo, Yamal), the Catalan club has added Rodri, captain of “La Roja,” who was snatched from their arch-rivals Real Madrid.
The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner, best player at the 2026 World Cup and 2024 European Championship, is expected to add more strength, experience, and a high number of recovered balls to Barcelona’s young squad, which is still awaiting the signing of a new striker following the departures of Polish forward Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres.
Atlético Madrid remains in the shadow of the two giants despite the large investments made over the past three years and its acquisition by the American investment fund Apollo Sports Capital, but it must proceed without French striker Antoine Griezmann, its all-time top scorer and one of its most prominent symbols, who left to pursue his American dream in Orlando.
