Real Madrid and Jose Mourinho: For Florentino Perez, it just makes sense

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Despite this, Perez admired the way he battled against a previously all-conquering Barcelona side led by Pep Guardiola, and he also liked the idea of his coach defending the club against perceived enemies. He never completely broke with Mourinho — and the idea of the Portuguese returning has been present at various times over the past 13 years. “Perez loves everything about Mourinho, except his style of football,” said a very close observer of the president who, like all those consulted for this article, preferred to speak anonymously to protect relationships. The other key factor here is that new managerial appointments at Madrid are often made in an impulsive manner, with Perez preferring people he knows and trusts. Other Madrid figures carry influence, such as general director Jose Angel Sanchez and chief scout Juni Calafat, but Perez makes all the biggest decisions himself. One source close to a previous Madrid coach put it like this: “Florentino does not need a sporting director, because he is the sporting director.” In making these decisions, he has often acted on an instinct driven by confidence in his own viewpoint and disdain for the opinions of most others. Turning back to what he knows, what he has enjoyed before, must have a strong attraction for the 79-year-old. This preference for coaches he knows well has brought positive results in the past. Carlo Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane, both multiple Champions League-winning managers with Madrid, helped the team to further success in their second spells at the Bernabeu. Perez has on occasion allowed himself to be swayed by advice from fellow directors or advisors when making new appointments, such as when lining up then-Spain boss Julen Lopetegui before the 2018 World Cup and Xabi Alonso to replace Ancelotti last May. But the president also quickly decided to fire both of those coaches, without having any long-term successor ready to step in. Given how Madrid have the highest revenues in world football and the most glittering record of success in both La Liga and the Champions League, you might imagine that many of the world’s best managers would be offering to take the job. Yet it is common knowledge within the game that coaches are not valued at the Bernabeu. They do not get much say at all in which players are bought or sold. Galactico stars are allowed to rebel against their coach’s instructions. There is little chance of being allowed time to embed tactical ideas. Any new Madrid manager has to come straight in and be an immediate success. What happened during Alonso’s eight months in charge will have just underlined the difficulty of the situation for anyone considering throwing their hat into the ring. The former Bayer Leverkusen coach was given a remit to modernise Madrid, but was quickly jettisoned when he ran into predictable roadblocks. Speaking in recent weeks, sources familiar with how coaching decisions are made at the Bernabeu speculated that Alvaro Arbeloa, who replaced Alonso in January, might remain for next season despite his poor record, given he was viewed as a ‘good club man’. However, Perez has made it clear that he was not happy with how Arbeloa was doing the job, and some close to the club hierarchy have even tried to distance the president from the decision to appoint the rookie coach, who now looks set to be moved on. Mourinho has never been forgotten at the Bernabeu, but Madrid’s three matches against Benfica in this season’s Champions League positioned him firmly back at the front of their minds. The first of those games saw Mourinho’s Benfica win 4-2 while relentlessly out-running and out-battling Arbeloa’s Madrid, having ruthlessly targeted their issues in defence. Their second meeting, in Lisbon on February 17, gave the lie to any suggestions that Mourinho, 63, is now a more mellow character. After Vinicius Junior alleged he was racially abused by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni during the game, Mourinho suggested Vinicius Jr had incited the incident. Prestianni, who denied the allegation, was eventually given a six-match suspension by UEFA for homophobic, rather than racist, conduct. Mourinho’s comments seemed to blame Vinicius Jr for provoking the regular racist abuse he has suffered in Spanish football. They appeared to significantly damage the prospect of him ever coaching a side featuring the Brazilian. There was little said around the Bernabeu about Mourinho’s behaviour over the incident. This is an especially delicate moment for Perez. His long-held dream of a European Super League is over. Legal and technical challenges have caused severe problems for the expensive Bernabeu stadium rebuild. His battles against football authorities in Spain, including referees, have been set back by a new strong partnership between La Liga and the Spanish FA. Barcelona have the upper hand in their increasingly bitter rivalry and could well celebrate another La Liga title win at the Camp Nou in a few weeks. There are also deep problems in Madrid’s squad, which is top-heavy with galactico attackers and low on reliable defenders. The team is almost certainly about to finish a second consecutive season without a major trophy, the first time this has happened since 2009-10, just before Mourinho was hired the first time. Surrounded by all the issues he faces on and off the pitch at Madrid, turning to Mourinho once more might well appeal to Perez. But if he does decide to reappoint him, it will also mean bringing back the tension and noise he has often brought to his clubs. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms