Substance vs style: Does Jose Mourinho just have to win at Real Madrid? Blancos legend Steve McManaman explains the ‘Special One’s’ remit at Santiago Bernabeu

The fabled ‘Galacticos’ recruitment policy of president Florentino Perez may not be as prevalent in 2026 as it once was, but a star-studded squad has been assembled in the Spanish capital - and an annual return, in the form of silverware, is demanded on sizeable investments of faith and funds.

French forward Kylian Mbappe joined the ranks in 2024 and was expected to chase down elusive Champions League and Ballon d’Or honours in Madrid, but he is yet to enjoy tangible reward for the 86 goals that he has plundered and two Golden Boots that have been captured.

Vinicius Junior has - after briefly generating transfer talk - signed a new contract, while Jude Bellingham was back to his best for England at the 2026 World Cup and exciting Ivorian teenager Yan Diomande has arrived in a €140 million (£120m/$162m) transfer.

As a collective, they are being charged with the task of wrestling domestic dominance away from Clasico rivals Barcelona. Mourinho has been drafted in to aid that quest, with the enigmatic Portuguese returning to the Bernabeu 13 years after his previous stint with the Blancos came to a close.

Asked if the former Chelsea and Manchester United boss is under less pressure to deliver an eye-catching brand of football given the recent struggles to land top honours at home and abroad, McManaman - who was speaking to GOAL courtesy of Disney+, who will be showing Mourinho’s first La Liga game back at the helm on ESPN this Saturday when Real head to Espanyol - said: “I think when you're talking about Real Madrid, there's a slight difference.

“[Fabio] Capello won the league many moons ago and got booed basically every single game for winning 1-0 so I think there definitely is a substance part to it.

“They have to be more difficult to beat, they have to run, they have to work hard but you and I know that should just be a staple, that should be bread and butter - you run your balls off and you run and you run and if you're having a bad game, which we all have, you run and you run and you run and you help other people.

“I think there has to be a certain amount of style, but I don't think that'll be an issue with Madrid or Barca, the style comes, the players they have, have the style, it's just part of their DNA, that will happen naturally on the pitch because that is what they do.

“I expect Madrid to score a lot of goals this year, they normally do, they scored a lot of goals under Jose last time but his team battled against Pep [Guardiola] and that side - they won a league, they won a Copa del Rey, they won a Super Cup against Barcelona but that was in three years. They'll have to be more than that this year I think.

“Their investment is heavy again. After their investment in defence last year, they've gone again this year, a couple of good new signings. Three defenders have been brought in, on top of three in last year - [Alvaro] Carreras, [Dean] Huijsen etc.

“He brought in another three so you could see where he thought the weakness lay and you know he wants to be strong at the back first and foremost and then that front four, you know they'll score goals at a canter, there's no problem about that in La Liga.”

Mourinho has built his career, and established a reputation as one of the greatest tactical minds of the modern generation, on the back of picking up major silverware just about everywhere that he has been.

The odd question has been asked of whether, at 63 years of age, he can scale La Liga and Champions League-winning heights again. Real are backing him to do just that - with the likes of Mbappe and Vinicius Junior at his disposal - and will be hoping to make a flying start to their endeavours in 2026-27.

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