Can Mourinho restore Real Madrid to former glory?

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Mourinho won three trophies during his first spell at Real Madrid - La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup

ByElizabeth Conway, Spanish football reporter and John Bennett, BBC World Service

Published8 minutes ago

Jose Mourinho left Real Madrid in 2013 as one of the most celebrated managers in world football.

Thirteen years later, the self-proclaimed 'Special One' is back at the Bernabeu, tasked with restoring a club that has had two successive seasons without a trophy.

But Mourinho's return raises an intriguing question.

Is the 63-year-old still capable of reaching the heights of his past, or has Real Madrid's president Florentino Perez turned to a manager whose best days are behind him?

Speaking on the More Than The Score podcast, BBC Sport spoke to those who know Mourinho best to assess whether he can make a success of his second spell with Los Blancos.

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Back for a second spell

Mourinho has won only one title since he left Madrid, the Premier League during his second stint at Chelsea in 2015. His subsequent spells at Manchester United, Tottenham, Roma, Fenerbahce and Benfica have produced moments of success in cup competitions, but also considerable turbulence.

Spanish football expert Eduardo Alvarez believes Mourinho's appointment came about because club president Perez took inspiration from Carlo Ancelotti's successful second spell at the club.

"I think he's betting on a second stint with Mourinho because Ancelotti was successful during his and it's a very similar case," Alvarez told BBC Sport.

"Ancelotti was coaching Everton, probably not at the top of his game anymore, 60 years old and suddenly, when he went to Real Madrid again, it worked out and he won the Champions League.

"Mourinho falls into the category of Real Madrid not being a manager's club but being a player's club. Even though Mourinho is a very prominent manager, the way he manages is not tactically intense, but more player-intense, which is what I believe Florentino needs."

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'He's going to need to change the behaviour and attitude of players'

But there is a former Real president who believes Mourinho will have to change if he is to succeed.

Ramon Calderon, who led the club from 2006 to 2009, has welcomed the appointment, but warned the Portuguese cannot simply recreate the approach of his first spell.

"He's going to need to change the behaviour and the attitude of the players," he told BBC Sport.

"He showed, when he was at Real 13 years ago, a lot of protagonism. He had many problems with clubs, rivals, referees and was always blaming others for the defeats and not taking the responsibility.

"I think he has to gain the respect and trust of the players by persuasion, not by imposition. He has to show them that his methods are the best ones for whole team and not have protagonists."

After leading Inter Milan to a Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League Treble in 2009, Mourinho's first Madrid spell then produced a La Liga title, the Copa del Rey and three successive Champions League semi-final appearances.

But it was also marked by fierce rivalries, dressing-room tensions and a highly volatile relationship with the Spanish media.

"I hope he can change," added Calderon. "If he insists on the same mistakes, it will be a problem."

'Not every player at Benfica was with him last season'

That question of whether Mourinho has changed has also been asked in Portugal, where he spent last season managing Benfica.

Portuguese football journalist Duarte Monteiro believes the answer is no.

He added: "Mourinho didn't change. His character, his personality didn't change. The problem, I think, for him is that the world changed.

"The young players today, the journalists and the environment is different and I think there's not as much openness to embrace him now like maybe there was 20 or 25 years ago, when his character was fresh and new."

Monteiro described Benfica's football last season as "not very sexy", with Mourinho adopting a conservative approach and appearing to have different priorities in domestic and European competition.

There were still highlights, notably a famous 4-2 victory over Real Madrid in the Champions League group phase before they later lost a play-off tie.

But Monteiro said Mourinho's old personality traits remained evident as he added: "He had two or three moments over the season where he was very publicly aggressive towards a group of players.

"Not every player at Benfica was with him last season."

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Can Jose Mourinho put Real Madrid back on top?

'I was impressed, but a bit scared as well'

Former Chelsea defender Robert Huth helped Mourinho's side secure back-to-back Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006.

But he admitted: "I was impressed but a bit scared as well.

"When I did interact with him, it was very brutal. Looking back now, it was basically: if you don't perform, you're gone."

Yet Huth said that harsh approach was appropriate for a young player trying to establish himself.

"He was very hard but fair, always honest with his communication with you," he added. "When you weren't playing, you knew exactly why you weren't playing.

"If you had a family problem, or any kind of outside issue that might have an effect on your performance, he was always there for you. He was always a family man. Players developed a really human relationship with him."

Mourinho's greatest strength, he believed, was his ability to convince an entire squad to buy into a common cause and mindset.

That proved key to Chelsea's success under Mourinho, which also included the FA Cup and League Cup.

"He galvanised the squad," said Huth, who also won the Premier League with Leicester City in 2016.

"When you have someone leading like that, you kind of go, 'Yeah, I'm in'.

"His training was pure quality, his preparation was amazing, the level of detail he brought to the club, his mentality, the coaches he brought in - they were all on the same page."

'Bellingham will thrive under him'

That may be the biggest question Mourinho has to answer, with the Real dressing room containing Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham among a collection of elite players.

Mourinho's methods have traditionally relied on establishing strong relationships with key personalities and demanding total commitment.

"I think Bellingham will absolutely love Jose," said Huth. "He will thrive under him."

But he has concerns about Mbappe and Vinicius as he added: "When things don't go their way, things come out in the Press. I don't like that kind of thing.

"Bellingham is that kind of guy that gives everything each game. Jose loves that."

Managing such stars will prove a defining challenge for Mourinho, said Calderon too.

"The dressing room is full of stars, he has a fantastic squad," he added. "But it can be a problem if you don't manage it properly."

In his first managerial role at Porto, Mourinho was desperate to prove himself at the highest level and show his worth.

He took over midway through the 2001-02 season, famously saying he would make them champions the following year.

He delivered, building a team with relatively unknown players but hungry for success. He won the Portuguese title and Uefa Cup in 2003, then retained the league title and won the Champions League in the following season.

Journalist Monteiro admitted that version of Mourinho was impossible to recreate.

"What Mourinho did at Porto was a once-in-a-lifetime job," he said. "The big difference is that back then he needed to prove something.

"Now I think he only needs to prove something to himself - and sometimes that's not good for him."

At 63, Mourinho has nothing left to prove in terms of reputation, but Real Madrid may demand and need something different.

It's not simply the charisma and tactical intelligence that made him a global managerial icon, but the ability to adapt.

Huth said Mourinho still possessed "unbelievable knowledge" of the game, but now needed to convince the current players at Real Madrid to believe in him completely as those at Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan once did in their quest for more honours.