José Mourinho Returns to Real Madrid: Pre-Season Begins Early
The official return date is still a few days away, but José Mourinho has never been one to wait for the whistle. While the squad remains on holiday, the Portuguese coach has already reported for duty at Real Madrid City, marking the quiet start of one of the most intriguing second acts in recent club history.
He did it with a picture and two words. “Let’s go!!”
No grand speech, no staged unveiling. Just Mourinho, back in Valdebebas, signalling that the second spell of the coach from Setúbal has begun in earnest. The smile in the image did the rest: a mix of excitement, defiance and the familiar sense that he is walking into a storm he intends to control.
The calendar says pre-season really starts next Monday, July 13. Mourinho clearly disagrees.
Valdebebas warms up
The first wave of players is due in at Valdebebas at the start of next week: those who did not feature at the World Cup and can therefore begin preparations ahead of the internationals. Among them, some of the most intriguing names of Madrid’s present and future.
Dean Huijsen, Franco Mastantuono and Trent Alexander-Arnold are all expected to report for medical tests, part of the opening protocol before boots hit the grass. For them, this is the first close-up with Mourinho as Real Madrid manager. For him, it is the first chance to start shaping a new dressing room, reading personalities, setting standards, drawing lines.
The World Cup contingent will arrive later. The work, however, has already started.
Khedira on the bench, not the pitch
Behind the scenes, Mourinho has moved quickly to lock in his inner circle. The club has confirmed his coaching staff for the season, a blend of trusted lieutenants and a familiar face with deep roots in the Bernabéu.
Joao Tralhao and Pedro Machado will join him as assistant coaches, forming the core technical unit that will translate Mourinho’s ideas onto the training pitch. Alongside them, a name that instantly resonates with Madridistas: Sami Khedira.
The former Real Madrid midfielder, who won the league and the Champions League in white, returns in a new role as assistant coach. Once the anchor in front of the back four, he now steps onto the touchline, bringing dressing-room knowledge, tactical intelligence and the credibility of someone who has already lived the demands of this club from the inside.
Physical preparation will be in the hands of Antonio Días, appointed fitness coach, charged with moulding a squad expected to compete across every front. In goal, Nuno Santos takes over as goalkeeping coach, a key position in a team that has often relied on its keepers in defining moments.
The structure is clear. The hierarchy is set. Mourinho has his team.
The holidays officially end on Monday. For Real Madrid’s new-old manager, the clock has already started ticking.
