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Carlo Ancelotti has expressed support for his "friend" José Mourinho to thrive at Real Madrid, should he return as the club's next head coach. Iker Casillas, however, remains skeptical.
Mourinho has emerged as the clear frontrunner to take charge at the Bernabéu next season, with several reports suggesting the 63-year-old is already in advanced negotiations for the position.
If confirmed, Mourinho—whose initial spell at Madrid spanned three years from 2010 to 2013—would be rejoining the club during a turbulent period, marked by dressing room tensions that have overshadowed a trophy-free campaign.
While he appears to have the support of club president Florentino Pérez, Mourinho is far from a universally welcomed choice to replace Álvaro Arbeloa as Real Madrid manager.
The two-time Champions League winner's contentious first tenure in the Spanish capital ended on bitter terms, and he has not claimed a league title at any club since 2015.
Mourinho Return Splits Fanbase
The prospect of Mourinho's return has divided Madrid, with two prominent club legends standing on opposite sides of the argument.
Ancelotti, who took over from Mourinho in 2013, told The Athletic that the Portuguese tactician is a "big friend," while throwing his weight behind a potential comeback.
He said: "To be back at Real Madrid, I will be really happy for him. He can do a fantastic job, as he always did in all the clubs that he was at."
Casillas, on the other hand, is not persuaded.
The iconic goalkeeper famously clashed with Mourinho during the 2012–13 season and was dropped in favor of Diego Lopez. The manager publicly maintained that the decision was purely based on sporting merit, but speculation over a falling-out between captain and coach ran rampant.
No tengo ningún problema con Mourinho. Me parece un gran profesional. No le quiero en el @realmadrid . Creo que otros entrenadores estarían mejor capacitados para entrenar en el club de mi vida. Opinión personal. Nada mas.
Taking to X on Tuesday, Casillas wrote: "I have no problem with Mourinho. He seems like a great professional to me. I don't want him at Real Madrid. I think other coaches would be better equipped to coach at the club of my life. Personal opinion. Nothing more."
Notably, Casillas recently voiced his backing for former Barcelona and Spain midfielder Cesc Fàbregas—currently managing Como—describing him as a "wonderful" coach.
Fàbregas, despite his ties to Barcelona, has not dismissed the idea of managing Madrid at some point in the future.
Ancelotti Advice for Next Manager
Whoever steps in as the next Real Madrid manager will face the daunting challenge of reuniting a fractured squad. Xabi Alonso was reportedly said to have described this Madrid side as "impossible to coach" following his departure in January, just seven months after being appointed. Reports of unchecked player influence and training ground confrontations have dominated headlines throughout the season.
Ancelotti, however, was quick to push back against the notion that Madrid's players are unmanageable.
"It's not true [that they do what they want]. Absolutely bulls---. It is absolutely bulls---," he stated in his in-depth interview with The Athletic.
He also shared his approach to getting the best out of the strong personalities in the dressing room—remarks that could be interpreted as guidance for his friend Mourinho.
"As usual, I tried to have a relationship with the person—not with the player—because what you are is a person. You are just a person that plays football. That is clear in my mind," Ancelotti said
"After that, the difficulties of Real Madrid … the old generation of players has to be rebuilt. In the last years, Real Madrid lost really important players: Casemiro, [Toni] Kroos, [Luka] Modrić, [Karim] Benzema, Nacho. The atmosphere in the squad is important, it comes from these players, who have more character, more personality and more leadership.
"So Real Madrid needs time to rebuild this environment in the squad, which gave them a lot of success [before]. It's not only a problem of technical quality. To have success, it is also to find a good balance."