Real Madrid legend Iker Casillas insists Jose Mourinho should not be returning to the Estadio Bernabeu, as the current Benfica boss appears to be on the brink of a sensational move back to the Spanish capital.
The 63-year-old is poised for his second stint with the LaLiga giants, although club president Florentino Perez refused to be drawn on a potential return at an astonishing press conference he called on Tuesday evening.
It is believed that Perez is the main driving force behind Mourinho heading back to Real Madrid, with the club having missed out to Barcelona again for the LaLiga title and also dealing with Kylian Mbappe’s strops and ugly events behind the scenes following the recent bust-up between teammates Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni.
However, Casillas, who won five LaLiga titles and three Champions Leagues during a 16-year stay at Real Madrid, which included playing under Mourinho, admits that he does not agree with his proposed return.
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The 44-year-old posted on X: “I have no problem with Mourinho. He seems like a great professional to me.
“I don’t want him at @realmadrid. I think other coaches would be better equipped to coach at the club of my life. Personal opinion. Nothing more.”
Mourinho, who was Real coach from 2010-2013, winning LaLiga and the Copa del Rey during his time at the club, is coming towards the end of a two-year contract at Benfica.
Perez insists he’s not resigning
Meanwhile, Perez insists he has no intention of resigning from his role as president after a calamitous end to the campaign for the Spanish giants, although he has called on the board to ‘initiate the electoral process for the elections’.
In a tense press conference, in which he argued with journalists over multiple subjects, Perez started by saying: “Thank you all for attending. I regret to tell you that I am not going to resign, but rather I have asked the board to initiate the electoral process for the elections to the board of directors, in which this current board of directors will participate.”
When pressed on names of upcoming coaches or players moving to Real, amid strong speculation over Mourinho’s return, he added: “I’m not going to talk about coaches or players. I’m here to return Real Madrid’s assets to its members.
“They’re taking them away from the members. They want me to leave, but I’m not going to leave. Instead, I’m going to run in the elections because I want to defend the idea that Real Madrid should continue to belong to its members.”
Perez also accused media outlets of making up ‘rumours’ he has cancer and clashed with several reporters directly, including telling the ABC newspaper he was planning to cancel his subscription.
The 79-year-old did not target solely journalists and potential rivals for his presidency, though, with LaLiga also the subject of harsh criticism.
“And of course, the enemy, La Liga,” he added. “We have to battle against La Liga. Corruption in the game, systematic.”
