Mourinho opts for silence after Real Madrid’s victory

Mourinho did not say a word to reporters after Real Madrid’s 1-0 victory over Villarreal. The coach chose not to appear in the press room after a match marked by refereeing controversy and Vinícius’s dismissal. His decision brings back a practice that has accompanied his career: delegating press conferences, cutting them short or simply keeping quiet.

After a 1-1 draw with Barcelona at the Bernabéu, Mourinho did face the journalists, but answered only those who had not left the previous day’s press conference. The episode recalls an earlier moment from his first spell at Real Madrid. On 15 April 2011, on the eve of a clásico against Barcelona, he sat alongside Karanka in Valdebebas and let his assistant take the questions. Mourinho remained seated while Karanka spoke to the journalists who stayed.

Across the three seasons of that first spell in Madrid, Karanka handled numerous press conferences in place of the Portuguese, both before and after matches. Mourinho had also sometimes asked Steve Clarke to deal with reporters during his first spell at Chelsea, between 2004 and 2007. A different episode marked his second stint at the club, from 2013 to 2016. He recalled his three Premier League titles, raised three fingers and demanded respect three times before leaving the room. His « Respect, respect, respect » became an enduring image of that period.

Mourinho has also chosen silence in Italy. During his time at Roma, he skipped the press conferences before his first three matches against Inter Milan, the team with which he had won the treble in 2010. Back at Real Madrid, he has now returned to that habit. This time Karanka was not there to speak for him: the silence itself defined the aftermath of the match.