Former Deportivo La Coruña defender Jorge Andrade has thrown his support behind José Mourinho ahead of the Portuguese manager’s return to Real Madrid, praising his influence on coaches and expressing confidence that his second spell at the Santiago Bernabéu will be even more successful than the first.
Speaking in an interview with Marca, Andrade described Mourinho as a coaching icon whose impact extends far beyond the trophies he has won.
“José Mourinho is a star. He’s our mentor as a coach. He’s given
a lot of inspiration to those of us starting out as coaches. Everything he does, his composure, how he interacts with the press, with the fans… It was a triumph for Florentino in his campaign to win the elections.”
Andrade believes Mourinho’s experience has only grown since his first stint in Madrid and feels the current circumstances provide the perfect environment for him to reshape the squad after a disappointing campaign.
“Mourinho’s second spell at Real Madrid.. It’s a great opportunity. He’s a much more experienced coach now, and he’s going to enjoy it much more than when he first went to Real Madrid. I think he has a golden opportunity to make a lot of changes to the team, since Madrid didn’t win anything last year.”
The former Portugal international also highlighted Kylian Mbappé as one of the players Mourinho will be eager to maximize, pointing to the forward’s performances for France at the 2026 World Cup.
“He will surely be excited to get Mbappé to do the same things he is doing with France in the World Cup: winning titles and achieving important goals like the Champions League, which for Real Madrid is the most important trophy.”
Andrade finished by expressing his pride in seeing two of Portugal’s biggest footballing figures continue to represent the country on the global stage, while joking that he hopes Mourinho wins every match—apart from any against his beloved Deportivo.
“Mourinho’s happy like a kid (to return to Real Madrid), huh? He’s a star. I wish him all the best. In Portugal, we’re lucky to have one of the best coaches in the world, like Mourinho, and to have players like Cristiano, who has been top-tier, the best, a Ballon d’Or winner who also played for Real Madrid. It’s very important for us to have them as our standard-bearers. That’s why I’m so excited about Mourinho signing again for Real Madrid and hoping he wins every game… except against Deportivo.”
