"No mistake": Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez clarifies Xabi Alonso's exit and sparks talk about José Mourinho

"Signing him wasn't a mistake. We had no pre-season preparation. When you keep playing on Wednesdays and Sundays without that base, your fitness inevitably drops. We suffered 28 injuries. We thought the transfer would solve it, but that fix was short-lived and the form slumped again," Perez told Spanish TV channel LA SEXTA in an interview conducted just days after his memorable news conference.

Real had hired Alonso in summer 2025 after his double triumph with Bayer Leverkusen, but the club sacked him midway through the 2025/26 campaign following a Supercopa defeat to arch-rivals FC Barcelona and a second-place Liga finish behind the Catalans. Tensions with star players such as Vinicius Junior further complicated his tenure, which had begun during the Club World Cup.

Alvaro Arbeloa eventually took over from Alonso, but Real remained unstable under his command. His first match ended in humiliation: a Copa del Rey exit at the hands of second-tier Albacete. In La Liga, the gap to eventual champions Barcelona grew week by week, while in the Champions League they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Bayern Munich. As a result, it is widely accepted that Arbeloa will leave the Bernabéu at the end of the season.

Jose Mourinho is widely tipped as the favourite to take over; according to Belgian transfer expert Sacha Tavolieri, the move is already a done deal. The Portuguese had previously managed Real Madrid between 2010 and 2013 and is currently in charge at Benfica Lisbon.

Perez, however, played down the speculation: "That's not true. Do I like Mourinho? I like all managers. He was with us and raised our level of performance. After that, we won six European Cups in ten years," the 79-year-old said.

"I get a lot of messages. Some advise me to hire Mourinho, and others tell me I shouldn't even think about it. I don't reply to any of them," Perez added, stressing yet again that—despite reports to the contrary—he does not decide on coaching appointments alone.