Mourinho's Unfamiliar Approach Kicks Off New Real Madrid Era Today

José Mourinho didn't arrive at Valdebebas last Friday to start work. He was there to ensure everything was running smoothly. The Portuguese coach has been meticulously preparing for the season for weeks, engaging in meetings and remote planning with Real Madrid's various departments. Therefore, his first day at the sports complex, already in his training gear, felt more like an inspection than an introduction. Pre-season officially kicks off on Monday at 8 AM, but the new era has quietly been underway for some time.

With this new chapter comes a clear message, one Mourinho has reiterated since his initial meetings with club staff and publicly articulated for the first time on Friday: the season must be approached as a mission. “I am here to help everyone improve: players, staff… To foster a culture of hard work, responsibility, and ambition. It’s not about working *in* Real Madrid, but working *for* Real Madrid.”

This is the foundational principle upon which he intends to build the new Real Madrid. From day one, he has insisted that success will only come if every individual within the club maintains the same daily rigor and competitive hunger. Winning titles is the ultimate goal, but before that, he aims to transform the culture of daily operations, as reported by "Marca."

He has no intention of arriving at the club and initiating a purge. There's no animosity, no desire to remove or dismiss anyone. He wants to be a unifying force.

On Monday, he will begin to implement this approach on the pitch. National team players who participated in the World Cup (some of whom are still in the tournament) will gradually join after completing their mandatory physical and mental rest periods (approximately three weeks). Mourinho will thus lead the initial training sessions with the available first-team players and a significant number of academy prospects. In recent weeks, he has reviewed individual reports and personally selected the young talents he wishes to observe closely. For many, this will be far more than just an opportunity to train with the senior squad – it will be their first audition before a coach who wants to get to know them directly.

The Portuguese manager isn't arriving with the intention of revolutionizing Valdebebas. His inner circle of trusted staff is already established, but the idea isn't to dismantle the existing structure. On the contrary, he aims to leverage the professionals already working at the club and integrate them into the project. “He won’t come to the club and conduct a purge. He has no intention of showing hostility, removing, or firing anyone. He wants to be a unifying element,” sources close to him explained to "Marca." Nevertheless, the first change is already confirmed. Mourinho will rely on Pintus, who will continue to oversee physical conditioning, but not on Llopis, who will be replaced by Nuno Santos.

All of this aligns with the word he has repeated most frequently since accepting the challenge: mission. For Mourinho, it's not just about coaching Real Madrid. It's about building an environment where responsibility, ambition, and the imperative to win are daily realities, long before the ball even starts rolling. “He wants to create a good atmosphere among everyone and for them to know that everyone will be important for the ultimate goal,” his entourage explained, describing him as a “unifying” figure.

"Marca" newspaper