José Mourinho had three words for any suggestion that Lamine Yamal belongs at Real Madrid: he doesn't need him. "My players are the best," the returning Madrid boss told El Chiringuito this week, shutting down the Yamal question before it had a chance to breathe. High praise for the Barcelona teenager — but a clear message about where Mourinho's loyalties and priorities lie.
The interview, the second part of a wide-ranging sit-down with Josep Pedrerol, covered everything from summer signings to the Negreira corruption case. And Mourinho, never one to give a boring answer when a controversial one is available, delivered on both counts.
On Diomande, Bernardo Silva, and building without vanity
Mourinho was clear that he didn't arrive at Madrid with a shopping list. "I arrived without asking for anyone," he said, though he acknowledged that when the right profiles emerged, he backed them. Diomande — fast, aggressive, versatile on either wing, and young enough to grow into a long-term piece — ticked the boxes regardless of the price tag. "Whether it's $140 million or $93 million... that's no longer my business."
Bernardo Silva, on the other hand, is very much his business. The Portuguese midfielder had been linked to Atlético and Barcelona, but Mourinho sees him as a natural Madrid player — a creative engine who can shift between roles as his career develops. He compared Bernardo's trajectory to Modric's own positional evolution, and drew the same parallel for Arda Güler, who he expects to move from a No. 10 toward a deeper role over time.
The absence of Kroos and Modric is the obvious question mark hanging over Madrid's midfield this season. Mourinho didn't pretend otherwise — "there's only one Luka and one Toni" — but his answer on Bernardo suggests he sees that creativity gap as solvable. Whether the market agrees is another matter. Madrid's title odds will be shaped largely by how that engine room functions from August onward.
The Negreira question — and Mourinho's most telling line
When the conversation turned to the Negreira case — in which Barcelona are alleged to have paid the vice president of Spain's refereeing committee for years — Mourinho laughed, then got pointed.
"When I was here I could smell something," he said. "You could sense something strange, but I didn't know the name, I didn't know who it was." He was careful not to render a verdict himself, leaving it to the courts. But he made his position plain: "It's just about having the courage to look it in the eye. In Italy, they did that with Calciopoli."
The reference to Calciopoli — the scandal that sent Juventus to Serie B and stripped them of titles — was not subtle. When pressed on whether Barça should be in the second division, Mourinho deflected: "The Spanish league needs Barça." Not exactly a ringing defence of their innocence.
- Mourinho said he "could smell something" during his first spell at Madrid without knowing the specifics of the Negreira case
- He compared the situation to Italy's Calciopoli, which resulted in Juventus's relegation
- He stopped short of calling for punishment, saying the courts must decide
As for the reunion with Florentino Pérez — Mourinho says this return feels different from his second stints at other clubs. "I'm coming because they know me. It's deeper." He's back not on the strength of a treble, but on trust built over time. That, at least, is the version he's selling.
