Mourinho’s secret to reviving Real Madrid? Make Mbappe the new Ronaldo

News

Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

Accredited football journalist and editor covering the game since 2006

Jose Mourinho is ready to make Kylian Mbappe his new Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid as the Portuguese begins an ambitious rebuild of Los Blancos.

Mourinho is back at the Bernabeu to reconstruct a team that is in the rubble after a catastrophic campaign in which the club disintegrated amidst dressing room chaos.

Man-management will be key to the success of the 63-year-old, and in particular how he handles key players such as Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior.

Mourinho guided Ronaldo from superstar to legend

Mourinho has made a career out of dealing with such situations and handling the players with the biggest egos in the world game. Among those he has successfully extracted the best from is Ronaldo.

It was under the guidance of the former Manchester United and Chelsea boss that Ronaldo elevated his game from being simply a world-class player, to one who would etch his name into the history of the game.

Three seasons under Mourinho at the Bernabeu saw him score 168 goals in 164 appearances. While his best season came in 2014/15, two years after the ‘Special One’ had left, his time with the Portuguese saw him record his next three best scoring terms.

Why Mbappe is the centrepiece of Real Madrid’s new era

Mbappe is next in line for the Mourinho treatment, according to L’Equipe, which has detailed the plans the Real Madrid manager has in store at the Bernabeu, inspired by the striker’s World Cup performances. It explains:

“Encouraged by Kylian Mbappe’s brilliant World Cup performance, the Frenchman will be the centrepiece of his project, and Mourinho intends to bring him to the same level of effectiveness and influence that Cristiano Ronaldo achieved when he coached him at Real Madrid.”

Bellingham is also in line for a central role in Real Madrid’s plans having impressed for England, with Mourinho planning to use him close to Mbappe as a No.10, according to the French source.

The next stage of Mbappe’s career starts now

Mourinho has been reticent to publicly reveal his plans for Mbappe.

He was asked about the France star in an interview with Vanity Fair but was tight-lipped as he replied: “I need to see him with my own eyes, because for now, all I know about him comes from the media.

“He's a phenomenal player and I intend to help him become even stronger.”

Mbappe, meanwhile, will be acutely aware of how effective Mourinho was at getting the best from Ronaldo, who was the childhood hero of the current Real Madrid striker.

The former PSG striker has made following in his idol’s footsteps the goal of his career. Now he will get his chance.