José Mourinho Begins Second Era at Real Madrid

José Mourinho has never been one for waiting around. While the official return from holidays at Real Madrid is not until next Monday, the Portuguese coach has already reported for duty at Valdebebas, stepping back into a training ground he knows better than most.

His first act came not in a press room, but on social media. One image, one message: “Let’s go!!”. No long speech, no manifesto. Just a clear signal that his second spell at the club has begun and that the work, in his mind, is already late.

This is Mourinho returning to a very different Real Madrid, with a different dressing room and a new generation to mould. The excitement around his comeback is obvious, but so is the weight of expectation. He walks back into a club that measures seasons in trophies, not in transition stories.

The players, though, are still scattered on their holidays, especially those who went deep into the World Cup. The first wave will arrive on Monday, July 13, when activity formally resumes at Real Madrid City. That opening group will be made up of those who did not feature in the tournament, a mix of youth, new faces and established names looking to impress early.

Among those expected for medical tests and initial sessions are Dean Huijsen, Franco Mastantuono and Trent Alexander-Arnold, along with others in a similar situation. For them, this is more than a routine pre-season check-in. It is a first audition in front of a coach who forms opinions quickly and rarely forgets first impressions.

Khedira back in white – on the bench this time

While the squad trickles back, Mourinho has already locked in the team that will work closest to him. His coaching staff is set, and there is a familiar name in the group.

Joao Tralhao and Pedro Machado will join him as assistant coaches, forming the core of the technical brain trust. Alongside them, Sami Khedira returns to Real Madrid in a very different role from the one that made him a key figure in midfield during his playing days.

Khedira will now operate as one of Mourinho’s assistants, stepping into the world of tactics, man-management and daily planning rather than tackles and box-to-box runs. His presence brings recent playing experience at the highest level into the dugout, a bridge between the manager and a modern dressing room.

The structure around the squad is rounded out by Antonio Días as fitness coach, tasked with shaping the physical edge of a team that will be asked to press, compete and endure across a long season. Nuno Santos takes charge of the goalkeepers, an area Mourinho has always treated as a specialist department within the team.

So the scene is set. The head coach is already at Valdebebas, the lights are back on in the offices, and the first pieces of his staff are in place. The players will follow on Monday, one by one, file by file, into medical rooms and then out onto the training pitches.

Mourinho’s second chapter at Real Madrid has started quietly, with a photo and two words. The noise will come soon enough.