Mourinho returns to Madrid to challenge Barcelona's dominance

José Mourinho is back at Real Madrid tasked with reclaiming La Liga after two barren seasons that have left the club in turmoil. Florentino Pérez, having won snap elections in June, has delivered on his promise to bring the 'Special One' back to repeat the feat of 2010-11, when Mourinho won the league with 100 points.

The situation at the Bernabéu had spiralled out of control during the last campaign. Xabi Alonso's sacking in January failed to stop the slide under Álvaro Arbeloa: in May, Federico Valverde was hospitalised after a fight with Aurélien Tchouaméni, and the team surrendered the title in the clásico. An online petition calling for Kylian Mbappé to leave hit 30 million signatures. Vinícius Júnior, with uncertainty over his future, has been decisive: he has just signed a new six-year contract.

An ambitious but complex project

Mourinho is working with a stellar squad: Vinícius, Mbappé, Jude Bellingham and the marquee signing Yan Diomandé (€115m), the club's most expensive player ever. The Ivory Coast winger was playing in Spain's fifth tier a year ago. Alongside them, Marc Cucurella and Bernardo Silva bolster the defence. According to The Guardian, the Portuguese coach started work a month early without fanfare: no lavish summer tour, just understated training sessions.

Yet Barcelona remain favourites: Lamine Yamal and co arrive as back-to-back champions. Mourinho must build a winning system in a team desperately needing order after the chaos, as the British newspaper reports.