No pressure to win Champions League at Real Madrid in second stint: Jose Mourinho

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has dismissed suggestions he is under increased pressure to secure the Champions League in his second spell at the Santiago Bernabeu. Mourinho returned to Los Blancos this season after serving as manager from 2010 to 2013.

Ahead of Real Madrid’s Champions League opener against Serie A champions Inter Milan on Tuesday, Mourinho insisted expectations surrounding the competition had not changed for him.

“No, it’s two different spells,” he said, according to Reuters, when asked if he was owed by the club. “When I left in 2013, we won what we won and lost what we lost and we gave it our all. And that was it. What I have to do now has nothing to do with the past.”

“We didn’t even get to the quarter-finals of the Champions League in 2010 and it’s been ages since we’ve played in the semi-finals. Now we’ve won six Champions Leagues in just over ten years.”

The Champions League remains the only major trophy Mourinho failed to win during his first spell in charge of the Spanish giants. However, the Portuguese manager said he is not approaching the tournament with any additional burden this time around.

Real Madrid is heading to the European match and wants to bounce back from its own first defeat since Mourinho’s return. Friday’s 1-0 loss to Real Betis in LaLiga ended their positive run and shifted focus firmly to their response against Inter.

“We want to win every game, every competition,” he said. “But you have to work to achieve stability. Stability. Stability… Structure…”

“So Real Madrid need to achieve the stability that is so important to achieve something big. But Real Madrid is Real Madrid, here you have to win no matter what.”

Mourinho faced questions on a number of topics during his interaction with the media, but the focus later turned to Kylian Mbappe and the mood in the Real Madrid squad. The French forward was repeatedly asked about his relationship with Vinicius Jr. and the atmosphere inside the locker room.

“What does locker room improvement mean?” Mbappe responded to a question about whether there had been a change from last year.

“Do you feel like something was wrong last year? No, it’s the same as last year. It’s true that we have a different coach, but it’s the same.”

As a 15-time European champion, Real Madrid has never fallen short of expectations when it comes to the Champions League. They are aiming to lift the trophy for the first time since their triumph in 2024, but the pressure has increased after the club went two seasons without a major honour.

Those difficult seasons also coincided with Mbappe’s arrival at the Bernabeu, adding further scrutiny to a team expected to challenge for every major trophy.

– The end

Published on:

07 Sep 2026 18:32 IST