Roncero
The 2025/26 season has turned into a real nightmare for Real Madrid. Xabi Alonso’s arrival sparked plenty of optimism at the start of the campaign, but poor results and growing uncertainty around the team led to another coaching change in January, with Álvaro Arbeloa stepping in. Yet the situation has not improved, and tension around the squad is higher than ever.
What worries Madrid fans most now is no longer just what happens on the pitch. In recent weeks, several player conflicts have surfaced, revealing the strained atmosphere inside the dressing room. First came the issues between Rüdiger and Carreras, then Kylian Mbappé’s heated exchange with a member of the coaching staff, and this week, a serious incident between Tchouaméni and Valverde.
Given this backdrop, the club is already considering major changes for next season. One name frequently mentioned for the bench is José Mourinho, who coached Real Madrid from 2010 to 2013. On the latest episode of ‘El Bar de Sique’, journalist Tomás Roncero was blunt about the Portuguese coach: “All roads lead to Mourinho. That doesn’t mean it’s definitive, because there are also opposing voices within the club. People know he’s not the Mourinho of 13 years ago. He doesn’t have the same energy, as we’ve seen at Fenerbahçe and Benfica.”
Roncero made it clear that while big names are being considered, his personal pick is a figure already within the club: “No one would have laughed at Raúl. With his Champions League titles, he can put many Madrid players in their place. He’s a club legend with real character. I would have given Raúl the chance.” During a live broadcast on AS with Rubén Martín, Roncero compared the club’s situation to a delicate surgery, insisting that both the diagnosis and the surgeon matter. “We’re talking about the surgeon, who already knows the operation he has to perform—where to cut and where to apply the scalpel. But we need to see which surgeon does it and that he’s a guarantee. It’s a very extreme, very special, and, in a way, very traumatic situation,” he said, stressing the difficulty of the current scenario.
The journalist also defended his support for Raúl González: “I think that’s what should have been done. Someone who enters the dressing room and makes you think, ‘Careful, this guy is a legend in capital letters.’ Someone who has soaked up Madrid and can’t be messed with. Otherwise, it’s impossible… But that’s not to the taste of the club’s presidency.”
