The 2026-2027 Real Madrid season won't be like others, for different reasons. Florentino Perez, the Spanish businessman who is in charge of the club, decided to call Jose Mourinho back to the club where he coached from 2010 to 2013 in a surprising move that will make headlines but also creates doubts. Real Madrid also made several signings that reshaped the backbone of the roster and were also able to agree on a new deal with one of the stars of the team, Vinicius Jr.
Despite the changes, the comeback of Mourinho at the club is the most interesting aspect of the season, as his first spell in the Spanish LaLiga was considered one of the most intense but also entertaining moments of his career. His duel with Barcelona and Pep Guardiola reached a peak of tension that won't be replicated. Let's take a look at the biggest changes and expectations around Real Madrid entering the new season, which they'll begin this weekend.
Watch Real Madrid all season long in the UEFA Champions League live on Paramount+. The decisions is similar to when Perez decided to call Carlo Ancelotti back to the club. After coaching Real Madrid from 2010 to 2013, Mourinho managed Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham in the English Premier League before going to AS Roma from 2021 to 2024 and then coaching Fenerbahce and Benfica in his last two years of management.
Mourinho is not at his career peak but Perez has a completely different vision. Instead of appointing another young, talented coach as he did after Ancelotti left in 2025 with Xabi Alonso and then with Alvaro Arbeloa, he opted to go with a coach who knows the club and can manage multiple stars on the roster. Ancelotti was the master of doing so.
When Perez called him for his second spell at the club in 2021, the feelings were very similar to the ones about Mourinho today. Before that, Ancelotti managed Bayern Munich and then had two disappointing spells at Napoli and Everton. However, he knew how to work with world-class players and ended up winning two Champions League trophies in 2022 and 2024, two LaLiga titles, one Copa del Rey, two UEFA Supercups, two Spanish Supercups and two Club World Cups in four years.
The idea of Perez is to replicate that model, and hopefully with the same success. With Mourinho coming back to the club, Perez also made some big signings that completely changed the face of the squad. They signed defender Ibrahima Konate as a free agent after his contract with Liverpool expired, fullbacks Marc Cucurella from Chelsea for around $63.5 million and Denzel Dumfries from Inter for $23 million.
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