Bale backs Mourinho to ‘manage egos’ at Real Madrid

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Gareth Bale believes that Jose Mourinho has a plan in place upon his return to Real Madrid to try and “manage egos” within the current squad. 

Mourinho’s switch to the Spanish capital was confirmed earlier this month, 13 years after his first spell in charge, coming in to replace the outgoing Alvaro Arbeloa. 

The 63-year-old put pen to paper on a three-year contract with Los Blancos, as he aims to turn the club’s fortunes around after a trophyless 2025-26 campaign. 

It was a disjointed season both on and off the pitch, with Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni involved in an altercation after training, while Kylian Mbappe fell out with Arbeloa after stating he was Madrid’s fourth-choice striker. 

Madrid were also beaten to the LaLiga title by Clasico rivals Barcelona, while they also suffered a quarter-final exit from the Champions League as well as losing to second tier side Albacete in the Copa del Rey last 16. 

But Bale, who spent nine years at Madrid as well as a season-long loan under Mourinho at Tottenham, is confident that things will turn around under his guidance. 

“By having that experienced head coach, like Carlo Ancelotti was, Jose will hopefully settle the group down and get them all on the same path,” Bale told The Athletic. 

“Carlo was just a great man manager. He understands the psychology and the pressures that come with it.

“But he creates that relationship with you where you feel like he really cares about you.

“Sometimes, players aren’t playing, but he knows how to keep them with him and keeps them motivated.

“At a big club like Madrid, you don’t need to really coach. You need to manage egos. That’s why he [Mourinho] has been so successful at the biggest clubs.”

— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) June 11, 2026

In his first spell at the helm, between 2010 and 2013, Mourinho won 126 of his 174 matches across all competitions (D27 L21), and won three major honours in that time. 

His 72.4% win percentage at Madrid is the highest of any team he has managed. Los Blancos have also won just four LaLiga titles since he left the club 13 years ago. 

Bale made 258 appearances for Madrid in all competitions, scoring 106 goals and providing 57 assists, as well as lifting 16 major trophies during his stint, including three LaLiga titles and five Champions Leagues.

The former Wales international registered 19 goal involvements (16 goals, three assists) in 34 appearances during his season-long loan at Tottenham when Mourinho was in charge, and he believes his experience of managing Madrid will already prove pivotal. 

“He also has that experience,” Bale added on Mourinho. “He only prods to get the best out of you. He’ll try and figure each player out and find whatever it takes to make them tick.

“Sometimes it might be [prodding] someone in the media, sometimes it might be just putting an arm around them.

“Jose has been at Madrid, he understands the dynamic, and he knows how things work. He’ll be putting a plan together to make that work.”

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