Thirteen years later, Mourinho is back at Real Madrid. Three games, three wins. But can he do it all over again?
There are some managers who return to a club, and then there is José Mourinho.
Thirteen years after leaving Real Madrid, the Portuguese coach is back at the Santiago Bernabéu. And already, the question is being asked again: Is the Special One really back?
Maybe it is too early to answer. But three games into the new La Liga season, Mourinho has certainly given Madrid fans something to believe in. Real Madrid have won all three of their opening league games. First came a dramatic 2-1 victory away to Espanyol, with Jude Bellingham scoring early before substitute Carlos Espí grabbed the winner in the final moments. Then came a 4-1 victory over Real Sociedad, with Kylian Mbappé scoring a hat-trick and Vinícius Júnior also getting on the scoresheet. Finally, Málaga were swept aside 4-0, with Bellingham and Mbappé scoring again before Arda Güler completed the night.
Three matches. Three wins. Nine points.
But perhaps the most interesting part is not the points. It is how Mourinho is making this Real Madrid attack work. For months, one of the big questions around Madrid was simple: Can Jude Bellingham, Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé truly play together and bring out the best in one another?
So far, the answer looks promising.
Against Real Sociedad, Bellingham provided two assists, Mbappé scored three times and Vinícius scored once. Mbappé then returned the favour by creating the chance for Vinícius, while Vinícius later supplied the pass that allowed Mbappé to complete his hat-trick. It was not three superstars fighting for the same spotlight. It was three stars beginning to share it, and that could be the biggest difference between this Madrid and the one Mourinho left behind.
This time, he is not building around one superstar. He has several.
Bellingham can arrive from midfield. Vinícius can attack from the left. Mbappé can move across the front line. And behind them, Mourinho is finding ways to give the team more control.
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Bernardo Silva’s arrival adds another experienced player to the midfield, while Arda Güler is showing that he is not simply a young player waiting for his chance. Güler provided the cross for Bellingham’s opening goal against Espanyol and later played a role in Madrid’s attacking combinations. He also came off the bench to score against Málaga.
That is where Mourinho’s second Madrid story could become interesting.
The first time around, between 2010 and 2013, he helped Madrid break Barcelona’s grip on La Liga. His 2011/12 team won the league with a record 100 points and scored 121 goals. He also won the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup during his first spell.
Now, more than a decade later, the challenge looks familiar. Barcelona are still there.
The defending champions have also started strongly, winning their first three league games, including a 5-2 victory over Rayo Vallecano. Raphinha and Lamine Yamal have already started making noise, meaning Madrid’s perfect start has not exactly scared their biggest rivals away.
So the question becomes bigger.
Can Mourinho stop Barcelona again?
Can he take a team filled with Bellingham, Vinícius, Mbappé, Güler and Bernardo Silva and turn individual talent into one powerful team?
Three wins tell us that the journey has started well. But La Liga is not won in August. The real tests are still coming—the difficult away games, the pressure of El Clásico, Europe, injuries, dressing-room battles and the long race for consistency, and perhaps that is what makes Mourinho’s return so fascinating.
He has already given Real Madrid something they desperately wanted: hope.
But hope is not a trophy.
So, as the Bernabéu begins to dream again, one question remains for Madridistas, Barcelona fans and everyone watching from outside Spain:
Is José Mourinho still the Special One?
Or are we simply watching the beginning of another Mourinho story?
You decide.
By Abayomi Gabriel | LukaGsports
