José Mourinho’s Real Madrid return officially begins: New staff, preseason plans and key decisions

José Mourinho has been overseeing everything at Real Madrid since late May, when he reached an agreement to return to the club. That comeback was officially announced on June 11, but his most important work begins Monday.

This is when Mourinho’s direct influence starts: managing the locker room, establishing his methods and preparing the team for what comes next on the field.

An unusual preseason gets underway

It will mark the official start of another unusual preseason, much like last summer. In 2025, the Club World Cup disrupted preparations, while this year the international calendar has created another challenge.

However, the impact on Mourinho’s plans is expected to be smaller than initially feared.

On Monday, the Portuguese coach will be able to work with 11 first-team players: Andriy Lunin, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Álvaro Carreras, Dean Huijsen, Raúl Asencio, Eduardo Camavinga, Gonzalo García and Franco Mastantuono, along with injured players Éder Militão, Rodrygo and Ferland Mendy, who continue their recoveries.

The return of players involved in the World Cup will also happen earlier than originally projected.

Federico Valverde and Arda Güler’s surprising group-stage exits mean they will join the squad only a few days later than the rest. By the second week of preseason, another key player for Mourinho is expected to arrive: Antonio Rüdiger.

The coach will also welcome his first signing, Denzel Dumfries, with competition at right back between the Dutchman and Trent Alexander-Arnold set to begin immediately.

Mourinho prepares his new coaching structure

The arrival of four players will allow Mourinho to gradually add depth to training sessions, although he will also bring several Castilla players into preseason work. That includes players such as César Palacios, who is expected to leave this summer but whom Mourinho wants to assess up close first. The same applies to Thiago Pitarch.

Mourinho’s return to Valdebebas comes 13 years after he last occupied the main office at Real Madrid’s training ground. He will do so with one familiar face added to his staff: former player Sami Khedira.

The core of his coaching team will include João Tralhão as assistant coach, António Dias in charge of fitness, Pedro Machado as an assistant, Roberto Merella as an analyst and Nuno Santos working with goalkeepers.

Despite the arrival of Mourinho’s staff, Antonio Pintus and Luis Llopis remain at the club for now, although their exact roles have yet to be defined.

Real Madrid’s preseason plans take shape

One of the biggest questions has been how Mourinho would introduce his methods and prepare for a season in which Real Madrid will face enormous pressure to win trophies.

The coach discussed with the club the possibility of holding a preseason training camp outside Spain, but a trip to the United States was ruled out because of its proximity to the World Cup.

Instead, Real Madrid will follow a similar plan to last summer, with most of the preparation taking place at the Ciudad Real Madrid training complex, alongside a series of friendly matches.

Real Madrid’s first LaLiga game postponed

The calendar will not be as demanding as last summer’s schedule and will give Mourinho’s new project an additional week to experiment and fine-tune details.

Real Madrid’s LaLiga opener, originally scheduled for Aug. 14-16, will be postponed because the club is guaranteed to have at least one World Cup semifinalist.

Brahim Díaz’s Morocco and France’s Kylian Mbappé, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Ibrahima Konaté are among the players still involved in the tournament.

LaLiga president Javier Tebas said the league would respect “three weeks of rest for the players and three weeks of preparation.” Therefore, pending official confirmation, Real Madrid’s competitive debut is expected to come on Aug. 23 against Espanyol at RCDE Stadium.

He also wants to personally evaluate two players before making final decisions: Eduardo Camavinga and Gonzalo García.