Jose Mourinho has wasted little time in laying down the law at Real Madrid, with the Portuguese manager introducing three strict rules that his players will be expected to follow during the 2026-27 season.
The return of Mourinho comes at a crucial stage for the Spanish giants, who are desperate to restore their dominance after two seasons without a major trophy. Real Madrid have also seen Barcelona enjoy the upper hand domestically, while their wait for another Champions League triumph has continued.
Mourinho, who previously enjoyed a highly successful spell at the Santiago Bernabeu, is now looking to bring discipline and consistency back to the squad. According to AS, three key areas have already been addressed by the experienced manager.
1. Strict control over nutrition
Mourinho reportedly wants the club’s nutrition team to have greater authority over what players eat on a daily basis.
Rather than treating dietary advice as optional, the nutritionists will determine menus designed specifically around the physical requirements of elite footballers. Individual food preferences will take a back seat to maintaining fitness, recovery and performance levels.
The idea is to ensure that players approach nutrition with the same seriousness as training and tactical preparation.
2. No tolerance for lateness
Punctuality is another area where Mourinho has reportedly introduced a firm policy.
Players are expected to arrive at the training ground one hour before the scheduled start of team training. Anyone who fails to meet that requirement will reportedly face a physical punishment rather than a financial penalty.
A late arrival could mean spending an additional hour alone in the gym. The rule is intended to reinforce discipline and ensure that the entire squad approaches training with the required level of professionalism.
3. Injuries to be managed at Valdebebas
Mourinho has also reportedly tightened the rules surrounding injury rehabilitation.
Players recovering from injuries will be expected to undergo their treatment at Real Madrid’s Valdebebas training complex instead of seeking external rehabilitation independently. This would allow the club’s medical and fitness staff to maintain closer control over the recovery process.
The approach reflects Mourinho’s wider emphasis on unity and collective responsibility. Rather than allowing individual players to follow separate routines, the manager wants the squad operating within a coordinated structure.
Mourinho returns to Real Madrid with plenty of experience of achieving success in Spain. During his first spell at the club, he helped establish several La Liga records, including the highest points tally in a season and the most victories.
His 2011-12 Real Madrid side, inspired by Cristiano Ronaldo, became the first team in Europe’s major leagues to reach 100 points in a league campaign. Now, Mourinho will hope his strict methods can help another generation of Madrid stars rediscover that level of consistency.
Debayan Bhattacharyya is a seasoned sports journalist and digital media professional, currently serving as the Chief Sub Editor at ITV Digital (NewsX). A true Football-Fanatic Bong, his professional journey began at Zee Media, where he kicked off his career as a Sub-Editor for the sports team at India.com and CricketCountry. His ability to blend insightful analysis with rapid-fire news delivery soon led him to Times Network, where he served as a Senior Copy Editor for Times Now. Before his current role at NewsX, Debayan spent a significant tenure at OneIndia’s MyKhel as a Senior Sub Editor.
