Jose Mourinho has been sleeping overnight at Real Madrid’s Valdebebas training complex on several occasions as he puts himself fully into his second spell as the club’s head coach. According to a report in The Athletic, sources close to the Portuguese manager say the 63-year-old is bursting with enthusiasm about the project and has shown total commitment by staying at the training ground when necessary to complete all the tasks he wants to address. Mourinho has included himself in every detail across departments, taking the intense approach he took during his first successful stint at the Bernabeu between 2010 and 2013. He adopted a similar habit last season while in charge of Benfica, occasionally bedding down at their training base.

In recent statements, Mourinho explained the practical reasons behind the move. His son and daughter who are now 29 and 26 and living in London and his wife often spending time with them, he frequently finds it more convenient to remain at Valdebebas after finishing work around 6pm or 7pm rather than travelling home. “I don’t like saying that I work at Real Madrid. I prefer to say that I work for Real Madrid,” he said.

Real Madrid start season with 3 matches in eight days

Real Madrid will open their 2026/27 La Liga campaign with a tough early schedule under Jose Mourinho. The side travel to face Espanyol at the RCDE Stadium on 22 August, a match that forms part of matchday two after the original first-round fixture was postponed. Four days later they will host Real Sociedad at the Santiago Bernabeu on 26 August before welcoming Malaga to their home ground on 30 August. They have a tough schedule which has three league matches in eight days to start the season.

After this they will have the first Madrid derby away at Atletico on 20 September, while the opening Clasico is scheduled for late October in Barcelona. The manager has already introduced stricter routines for the squad, including requiring players to arrive at least an hour before training, supervised nutrition and daily injury-prevention work in the gym. He has described these measures as common sense in modern football. Mourinho’s return to Real Madrid comes after two trophy-less seasons for the club.