José Mourinho jokes he wants Real Madrid players to lose at World Cup | OneFootball

José Mourinho, back at Real Madrid 13 years after his departure, joked that he wants his players to exit the 2026 World Cup early so they can report for pre-season.

“You want the truth? I want the Real Madrid players to lose and go on holiday, because I want the lads back for pre-season,” he said on the Beast Mode On podcast, hosted by former striker Adebayo Akinfenwa.

A sizeable portion of the squad is at the tournament. In all, 13 Madrid players are involved, including Kylian Mbappé, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Ibrahima Konaté, signed this summer. Arda Güler is already certain not to feature further.

Real Madrid’s pre-season begins on 13 July. The World Cup concludes on 19 July after semi-finals on 14 and 15 July, with the final at the MetLife Stadium on the outskirts of New York.

Those who go deep will require a break before resuming training, which could delay their return to Mourinho’s first sessions.

Source: L'Équipe