Jose Mourinho is officially back at Real Madrid, ending a 13-year break, and let me tell you, the man has wasted zero time getting his hands dirty. After a tough, trophyless 2025-26 season that saw the club rocked by constant turbulence, the Merengue giants brought him back for a brand new project. His first week of preseason training? It's been nothing short of relentless. "Intensity" is the single word Diario AS is using to characterize these initial sessions, and it absolutely hits different when it comes to Mourinho.
The Mourinho Grind Is ON From Day One
The Special One wasted absolutely no time, kicking off preseason training on July 13. And get this: most of the first-team players haven't even reported back to the club yet. Does that slow down Jose Mourinho? Not a chance, buddy. From everything we're seeing, Mourinho has returned to Real Madrid with a serious vengeance. We're talking about extremely demanding training sessions, where he's literally not allowing any of the players to even think about relaxing. Picture this: the high heat in Madrid, probably scorching, and it's not pushing him to compromise on his demands one bit. The available players and all the youngsters are being pushed to their absolute limits, training tirelessly. This isn't just a casual jog. It's intense work both on the pitch, where physical conditioning is perfectly blended with intricate work on the ball, and in the gym, where these guys are absolutely hammering strength exercises. It’s a full-on, no-holds-barred return for one of football's most notorious bosses, setting an immediate, uncompromising standard.
Hypoxia Masks and Hungry Players
And here's a wild detail that screams "Mourinho is back to business": one of the absolute highlights from the second training session, which went down yesterday on Tuesday, was the return of those infamous hypoxia masks! Seriously, those things are like Antonio Pintus's defining and favorite tools. What do they do? Well, these masks are crucial for the fitness coach to really dial in and assess the true condition of the players. Think about it: after spending the last few days away on vacation, these masks help give an accurate picture of who kept themselves ready and who might have taken a few too many days off. It's a precise, scientific way to gauge fitness levels right out of the gate. But here’s the really positive twist: despite these highly demanding sessions, the players are reportedly responding in a super positive way. Every single one of them is apparently keen to impress the new coach as they head into the next season. They know what's at stake here: getting back to their absolute best levels to help Real Madrid achieve all of the ambitious objectives they've laid out for this new project. This isn't just training; this is a clear, unmistakable statement of intent from day one.
The hope, and let's be real, the massive expectation, is that all this intense, hard work they're putting in during preseason is going to pay off huge in the upcoming season. Mourinho didn't come back to the Merengue club to mess around or to settle for anything less than trophies. This entire project is about getting back to winning ways, and he's absolutely setting that tone from the very first minute. So, get ready for a Real Madrid squad that's been pushed to its absolute limits, mentally and physically, right out of the gate. It's going to be a ride.
This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.