Jose Mourinho to Real Madrid is all but official, and the top reporters in both Portugal and Spain are making it sound as though the deal is imminent and will be announced in about a week. Los Blancos need a legendary, strong figure like Mourinho to right this ship, and many fans are wondering how he will feel about the superstars and big personalities at Real Madrid.
After Kylian Mbappe's disrespectful tirade towards Alvaro Arbeloa, it's unclear how he will feel about Mbappe, especially since Arbeloa was one of his favorite players from his first stint at the club: a warrior who would run through walls for the club and wasn't afraid to speak his mind to the big stars.
Mourinho loves these kinds of players who will give their blood, sweat, and tears to the team, like him, and are winners at all costs. And it sounds like he will be right at home at Real Madrid with the players who already won the Champions League at the club.
Jose Mourinho admires Jude Bellingham
But just listen to what Mourinho himself said in 2024 about Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior. He said of Jude, via the Madrid Zone, “When this kid in Madrid (Jude Bellingham) scores a goal and opens his arms to the Bernabéu, it's his dimension. It shows character, he is not doing it with arrogance. It is just 'here I am, I did it again'”.
And then of Vinicius Jr., “Viní Jr. is the type of player I love to coach.”
Real Madrid fans will have to see what Jose Mourinho thinks of Bellingham and Vinicius Jr. in 2026 two years later, but even when he was on the Champions League broadcast and talking or even just looking at Bellingham, you could see the admiration Mou had for the warrior.
And while Mourinho and Vinicius Jr. didn't seem to be on the same page during the racism row when Real Madrid took on Benfica, Madridistas familiar with Mourinho's first stint at the club know not to take things personally because Mourinho just does whatever he can to put his team front and center and back his players, even when they are wrong, in public; he saves the admonishing for the dressing room.
Real Madrid need that kind of a figure back at the club. Alvaro Arbeloa actually has that mentality, too, but he doesn't have the experience or the weight to command the same respect. Mourinho is going to love working with Jude and Vini, and they are going to listen to him.
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