Mourinho’s Madrid Reset Starts Fast
Jose Mourinho’s return to Real Madrid has opened with the kind of authority the club wanted, as the team has taken nine points from nine and climbed to the top of La Liga early in the 2026/27 season. The opening week has also delivered something Mourinho did not achieve during his first spell at the Bernabéu: a perfect three-win start to a league campaign.
A Clean Start in the League
Real Madrid began with a 2-1 win away to Espanyol, followed by a 4-1 home victory over Real Sociedad. They then finished the week with a 4-0 defeat of Málaga at the Santiago Bernabéu, a result that underlined how quickly the side is settling under Mourinho. ESPN’s match report noted that Jude Bellingham scored in the win, while substitute Arda Güler wrapped up the scoring in added time, and BBC Sport confirmed that Madrid kept a third straight clean-sheet-backed league win under the returning coach.
The Málaga game felt especially complete. Bellingham struck first, forced an own goal soon after, and the attack kept moving with Kylian Mbappé also on the scoresheet. By the end, the home crowd had seen a side that looked sharp, organised, and fully in rhythm.
Why This Start Matters More Than It Looks
This run stands out because Mourinho’s first period in charge, from 2010 to 2013, never produced an opening sequence like this in league play. Across that earlier spell, Madrid’s best start was 7 points from 9 in 2010/11, followed by 6 points in 2011/12 and 4 points in 2012/13. The current 9-point launch is therefore his strongest league opening at the club.
That does not guarantee anything long term, of course, but it does matter at a club that has gone two seasons without a major trophy and has been searching for a more forceful identity. A perfect start may be early, but it also creates momentum, confidence, and patience from the stands.
The Summer Rebuild Behind the Results
Madrid did not ask Mourinho to work with the same group and hope for a different outcome. The club backed him heavily in the summer, with a major revamp that included Marc Cucurella, Denzel Dumfries, Ibrahima Konaté, and Bernardo Silva. Reporting on the transfer window described it as the club’s biggest summer spend since 2019, with several signings made to solve clear tactical problems and strengthen key areas.
Cucurella was brought in from Chelsea to tighten the left side and provide balance. Dumfries gives Madrid a more aggressive right-back option. Konaté adds power and stability in central defence. Bernardo Silva brings composure, experience, and control in midfield. The pattern is obvious: Mourinho has been handed tools built for the style he wants.
Bellingham Gets the Best Seat in the House
One of the clearest changes is Bellingham’s role. Rather than being forced to share the same zones with Vinícius Júnior and Mbappé, he is now operating in the pocket behind them, where he can link play, arrive late, and attack space with less congestion. That adjustment fits both the player and the squad, because it puts Madrid’s most natural connector in the place where he can do the most damage.
The effect is simple: the wide forwards stretch defences, Bellingham finds space between the lines, and the team’s new defensive structure protects the back end when the attack turns aggressive. It is a cleaner, more balanced setup than the one Madrid often used before.
Mourinho Is Keeping His Foot on the Floor
Even with the strong beginning, Mourinho has not spoken like a manager celebrating a finished job. He has framed the season as a work in progress and has pushed attention toward the daily work ahead rather than the scoreline in the table. That attitude fits his career long pattern: build quickly, stay demanding, and refuse to let a few good results soften the edge.
For now, the signs are encouraging. Madrid look sharper, deeper, and more organised, while the attack already has the kind of bite supporters expect. Three matches do not define a season, but they can reveal direction. Right now, Mourinho’s Madrid is moving in exactly the direction the club hired him to provide.
