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Real Madrid icon Jorge Valdano has voiced his criticism of José Mourinho's return as the club's head coach, questioning why the club has gone back to a man who departed the role 13 years ago.
Mourinho was named Madrid manager for a second time this summer, having previously left following a three-year tenure from 2010–2013.
Mourinho's Madrid battled fiercely with Pep Guardiola's Barcelona and claimed a record-setting La Liga title in the 2011–12 season, though Champions League success eluded Los Blancos. In the end, Mourinho's first chapter in the Spanish capital concluded in bitterness, with the team finishing his last season empty-handed amid a string of serious fallouts with key figures at the club.
More than a decade removed from that era and with the club at a similarly difficult crossroads, club president Florentino Pérez has once again turned to Mourinho.
'Only the Club Knows'—Valdano
Mourinho's comeback caught many off guard, with critics viewing the volatile coach — who has not lifted a league trophy since 2015 — as a gamble by Pérez.
One clear skeptic is Valdano — a Madrid player during the 1980s who later held positions as manager, sporting director, and director general. The 70-year-old spoke openly about Mourinho's return in an interview with Portuguese outlet A Bola.
"This is his second opportunity. Nearly fifteen years have gone by: football is not the same, society is not the same, Florentino is not the same, and Mourinho certainly won't be the same either. So, we'll see what unfolds in this new context," he said.
"Xabi Alonso was a young coach with fresh methodologies. I don't know the reasons, but clearly things didn't work out and Florentino chose a different kind of coach. The reality is that there aren't many options available to Real Madrid. The choices are becoming limited. I don't know what the reasoning is behind bringing José Mourinho back to shoulder this responsibility again – only the club knows that," he added.
History Between Valdano and Mourinho
Valdano served as the club's director general and advisor to Pérez during Mourinho's first stint in charge, but was dismissed in 2011 following a power struggle with the manager over transfer decisions.
At the peak of their dispute, Valdano told reporters: "I am not the one who turned Real Madrid into a battlefield."
When asked directly by A Bola whether he supported Mourinho to succeed at Madrid this time around, Valdano dodged the question: "I am a Real Madrid member: if they represent me well, I will applaud; if they represent me poorly, I will keep my distance for a while. But regardless of what happens, I will remain a Real Madrid member."
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Addressing his personal history with Mourinho, he added: "I'm the least resentful person in the world; conflicts don't linger for me, I move on very quickly."
Valdano is not the only former colleague who clashed with Mourinho in the past to raise doubts about the manager's second coming. Back in May, Iker Casillas posted on X: "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 suited to manage the club of my life. Personal opinion. Nothing more."