Mourinho highlights a turning point in Real Madrid’s “nightmare”

Mourinho has highlighted a turning point in Real Madrid’s “nightmare”: by mid-October, none of the team’s players was injured, he said. He described the situation as the first of its kind in ten years, amid a particular focus on keeping the squad available.

Before Friday’s match against Villarreal, Mourinho stressed that priority. He reportedly also steered the press conference towards his players’ fitness after a question connected to Kylian Mbappé riding a bicycle. Preserving the availability of the whole group is said to be among his main objectives at the start of the season.

“Do you want a story? I’ll keep my fingers crossed, because football is still football, but do you want a story? I’ll tell you one: this is the first time in the last ten years that Real Madrid have reached mid-October without a single player injured,” the coach said.

Mourinho also described a collective approach to prevention. “Here, we work within a comprehensive, normal and professional plan, based on very good cooperation between everyone,” he said, highlighting the contributions of the players, the technical and medical teams, and the monitoring of signs that could point to a problem.

Four players remain unavailable: Raúl Asencio, Rodrygo, Ferland Mendy and Éder Militão. Mendy, Militão and Rodrygo have been carrying injuries since last season. Asencio, meanwhile, underwent surgery for a tibia fracture after suffering with it for several months. When competitions resume, the other 22 players are available to Mourinho.

Comparisons with previous seasons remain difficult, particularly because of schedule changes linked to the lengthy international break. Recent history at Real Madrid nevertheless shows how extensive the injury toll can be: in some seasons, players have missed as many as 60 matches in total. That helps explain Mourinho’s stated priority, even though the current absences affect only part of the squad.