Mbappé, Vinicius and a fractured locker room: the big job waiting for Mourinho if he returns to Real Madrid

With one game left in a league season already decided, attention at Real Madrid has shifted toward planning for next season. A rebuild that begins on the bench, where all eyes are fixed on the possible return of José Mourinho. The Portuguese coach’s arrival, however, will not happen until Florentino Pérez’s ongoing electoral process is resolved. If no other candidates emerge, the president will be reappointed once the championship ends.

There is now a week-and-a-half holding pattern during which Mourinho will finish the season with Benfica. Until May 26, the Portuguese manager has a clause allowing him to leave the Lisbon club for a reduced fee of around $3.3 million. If he ultimately lands in Valdebebas, a long list of tasks awaits him: repairing a fractured locker room, finding new leaders, making Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappé coexist and identifying which positions need reinforcements.

Repairing a fractured Madrid locker room

The aftermath of the game against Oviedo exposed yet another crack inside Real Madrid’s dressing room. It was the team’s first home game since the fight between Aurélien Tchouaméni and Federico Valverde became public, Álvaro Carreras revealed on social media that he had also clashed with Antonio Rüdiger, and Florentino Pérez called elections in an emergency press conference. It was supposed to be the night the Bernabéu spoke. And it did. But Mbappé made sure he had the final word.

The French forward not only aimed criticism at his coach, but also appeared to take a veiled swipe at teammates. “I prefer to speak here. A lot of people don’t, and I have to look at the press to know what they think,” he said.

Mourinho’s first mission would be restoring unity inside a fragmented squad. The locker room must again become the place where players settle differences privately, rather than through media leaks or mixed-zone comments. Throughout the season, tensions have constantly surfaced. Under Xabi Alonso, Vinicius became isolated after his controversial behavior in El Clásico and his refusal to apologize directly to the coach. Álvaro Arbeloa managed to steady the Brazilian somewhat, but recent weeks have seen several players lose control publicly, culminating in Mbappé’s latest outburst.

The unrest surrounding the France captain has simmered for months — from reports in France claiming Real Madrid doctors diagnosed the wrong knee injury to his controversial trip to Sardinia.

Finding a new leader for Real Madrid

Real Madrid has spent several years navigating a generational transition that is now nearing completion. Luka Modric’s departure removed the final survivor from Mourinho’s previous spell at the club. And this summer, Dani Carvajal’s expected exit would leave the squad without any members of the group that won four Champions League titles in five years. Dani Ceballos, the only remaining player from “La Decimotercera,” is also reportedly heading toward the exit.

Other influential voices like Toni Kroos and Nacho Fernández have already gone. During this transition, Madrid still managed to win two more European Cups, powered in part by younger stars expected to become future leaders, particularly Valverde and Vinicius. Both have worn the captain’s armband, but neither has fully projected the commanding leadership once associated with figures like Sergio Ramos.

After Carvajal, the captaincy hierarchy would pass to Valverde, Vinicius, Thibaut Courtois, Éder Militão and Ferland Mendy. But each carries uncertainty. Valverde’s image has suffered because of internal disputes and his altercation with Tchouaméni. Vinicius continues struggling to fully reconnect with the Bernabéu crowd. Courtois raises a different question: whether Mourinho’s old dislike of goalkeepers serving as captains was merely directed at Iker Casillas or remains a firm rule in his management style. Meanwhile, injuries continue to weigh heavily on Militão and Mendy.

Whoever returns to the bench will need to establish a clear leader on the field.

Making Vinicius and Mbappé coexist

This has been the major unresolved challenge for Carlo Ancelotti, Xabi Alonso and Arbeloa over the last two seasons: finding a way for two superstars, both operating in similar areas of the field, to thrive together. Numerically, Ancelotti survived the balancing act reasonably well. Mbappé reached one of the best scoring seasons of his career with 44 goals, winning both the Pichichi and the European Golden Shoe. Vinicius also remained productive with 22 goals and 16 assists. But those numbers translated into few trophies beyond the UEFA Super Cup and Intercontinental Cup earlier in the campaign.

This season, the Brazilian and the Frenchman have functioned like a pendulum. Under Alonso, Mbappé flourished. Under Arbeloa, Vinicius rediscovered himself. Mbappé scored 31 goals in 26 games under the former Bayer Leverkusen coach. Since the managerial change, he has managed 12 goals in 18 appearances, though injuries disrupted his rhythm.

Arbeloa inherited a dejected Vinicius, at odds with both his previous coach and the Bernabéu, after scoring only six goals in 27 games and enduring a three-month drought. Under the Salamanca-born coach, however, the Brazilian revived dramatically with 15 goals in 25 appearances. Mourinho’s challenge would be finding a formula that synchronizes the best versions of both players without either becoming frustrated.

Identifying transfer priorities

Madrid is coming off its most active and expensive transfer window in six years. Yet the four signings made have all fallen short of expectations. Carreras, Dean Huijsen and Franco Mastantuono started brightly before fading, while Trent Alexander-Arnold not only struggled with injuries but also exposed defensive weaknesses.

The club traditionally moves quickly in the transfer market, but this summer carries even more urgency. The upcoming World Cup could significantly inflate prices for any stars who shine in North America.

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