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.
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Will Mourinho be the new Ancelotti?
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.
Key summer signings
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. The Spanish giants also decided to make some changes in the midfield and added Bernardo Silva as a free agent after he left Manchester City, and Yann Diomande from RB Leipzig for $144 million, who can potentially become the highest-paid player in the history of the club, surpassing Jude Bellingham if the bonuses are met.
Despite the new signings, Real Madrid also agreed on a new deal with Brazilian star Vinicius Jr, arguably the most important transfer-related news of the summer, as his previous deal was due to expire in the summer of 2027. The new deal goes to the summer of 2032, and Real Madrid anticipated a potential race to sign him as a free agent next summer, while other clubs such as Arsenal already started talks for a potential move in the current summer transfer window and also for next year. The fact that Vinicius committed again to Real Madrid under Mourinho is good news for the Portuguese coach, who will now be called to help him to integrate more with the other stars of the roster, such as Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe and the latest additions such as Diomande and Bernardo Silva.
Speaking of new additions, Real Madrid lost the race to sign Rodri from Manchester City, who ended up becoming one of the major signings of Barcelona in the summer. Rodri, who captained the Spanish national team at the 2026 World Cup, was at the center of media speculation about a possible move to Real Madrid from Manchester City with his desire to move back to Spain after making history in the Premier League. Rodri and Vinicius Jr were at the center of one of soccer's biggest debates when Rodri was awarded the 2024 Ballon d'Or. After news of the result was leaked ahead of the ceremony, both the Real Madrid delegation and Vinicius decided not to travel to Paris in protest and it was probably hard to imagine the two could play together after what happened in 2024. At the same time, Rodri's name was mentioned by Real Madrid presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme, who claimed that, if elected, he would bring the midfielder. However, there was never any confirmation that Rodri was involved in, or aware of, those plans.
During the recent exclusive interview with El Chiringuito, Mourinho claimed he "had doubts" on Rodri after speaking with him: "I spoke with him a couple of times. Real Madrid made him a very good offer. I think the relationship between Real Madrid and City is very good. The club made him a generous offer. Rodri had doubts, he doubted, and I think what happened is that the doubts Rodri had, gave me doubts. He's an extraordinary player. But I think Real Madrid are so big that we can't have players who think twice. That's the concept. But he behaved properly with us, and I wish him well."
Predictions
- LaLiga: Runners-up
- Champions League: Quarterfinals.
- Copa del Rey: Winners.
