Real Madrid are being strongly linked with bringing Jose Mourinho back to the club as manager and now Iker Casillas has fuelled the speculation.
While nothing has been finalised yet, it seems Mourinho is emerging as the favourite candidate to be the next Madrid manager.
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That’s according to the Athletic, and it seems legendary former Real goalkeeper Casillas is excited about this potential move going through.
See below for Casillas’ popcorn emoji post on X, which is likely in reference to the popular claim that Mourinho is ‘box office’ wherever he goes…
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— Iker Casillas (@IkerCasillas) April 28, 2026
Casillas is presumably quite well-connected in Real Madrid circles, so perhaps he’s also hinting he already knows something about this deal being close.
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Casillas played under Mourinho during his first spell as manager at the Bernabeu between 2010 and 2013, with the pair enjoying a lot of success together.
Is Jose Mourinho right for the Real Madrid job now?
Mourinho has undoubtedly had a great career in management, though it would also be fair to say that he hasn’t really been one of the world’s best coaches for arguably a decade now.
The Portuguese tactician is currently at Benfica, and other recent roles include clubs like Tottenham, Roma, and Fenerbahce.
In the past, Mourinho was taking the absolute top jobs at elite clubs like Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, and Manchester United, but it’s debatable if he’s still in that bracket.
At the same time, however, managing the egos in this Real Madrid squad is a very specific skill, and it might require someone more experienced than Xabi Alonso, who struggled when brought in last summer.
Carlo Ancelotti is another ageing manager whose experience has served him well in the Los Blancos job, so perhaps that’s now the kind of candidate Florentino Perez is after.
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