José Mourinho on Tchouameni and Valverde's New Harmony
José Mourinho insists he has not had to play peacemaker between Aurélien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde, despite the explosive clashes that scarred Real Madrid’s dressing room last season.
The pair were involved in two separate incidents in May, one of which left Valverde in hospital with a head injury and cast a long shadow over Madrid’s run-in. For weeks, their relationship was held up as a symbol of a squad on edge.
Now it looks like a different world.
From hospital ward to harmony
The turning point came over the summer. Tchouameni signed a new contract, a clear show of faith from the club. Valverde, meanwhile, inherited the captain’s armband after Dani Carvajal’s departure, a responsibility that instantly altered the dynamics in the dressing room.
Since then, the mood has flipped.
Speaking before Madrid’s clash with Rayo Vallecano, Mourinho painted the picture of a group that has stitched itself back together without his intervention.
“Look, I haven't done anything. They've done everything themselves,” he said. “The empathy within the group today, the friendship, the way they work together, the frustration when they go off because nobody wants to be substituted, but still supporting their teammates, the player who comes on in the final minute… the group is fantastic.”
That unity was on display in the Champions League win over Inter Milan. Tchouameni, back from World Cup duty and making his first appearance of the season, came off the bench late on to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold. At the final whistle, cameras caught him embracing Valverde. No tension. No distance. Just two key midfielders celebrating a European victory.
Mourinho admitted he had been ready to step in if old wounds resurfaced when the players returned from international duty. He never needed to.
“If I knew nothing, if I walked into the dressing room without knowing anything about the situation, I'd think they were great friends,” he said. “When they came back from the World Cup, I was obviously paying attention to see whether I needed to act as a peacekeeper, but I didn't have to do anything.”
Mourinho’s shield around Vinicius
With the midfield drama cooling, Mourinho turned his fire elsewhere: towards the criticism surrounding Vinicius Jr.
The Brazilian forward ended a summer of speculation last month by signing a long-term deal through 2032, committing his prime years to Madrid. On the pitch, though, he has started quietly, with just one goal in five games across all competitions.
The questions have come quickly. Mourinho is having none of it.
“The best Vinicius is coming soon,” he promised. “The one from last year, when the Bernabeu was terrified against Benfica and he ended up winning the tie. The Vinicius who won matches single-handedly hasn't arrived yet. But he will.”
He leaned on numbers to make his case, not as a crutch but as proof that the engine is already roaring beneath the surface.
“In an era of data and statistics, he's very close to his top speed,” Mourinho said. “He's broken his records for high-intensity sprints, records for ball recoveries, for ball recoveries in the final third... He's coming.”
The coach bristled when the Spanish media’s treatment of the 26-year-old was raised. For Mourinho, the criticism is less about form and more about what Vinicius has already built at the club: three La Liga titles, two Champions Leagues, two FIFA Club World Cups and a stack of other trophies.
In his eyes, that success has simply made the forward a bigger target.
“In Portugal there's a proverb, I don't know if it's the same in Spain, ‘you only throw stones at trees that bear fruit,’” he said. “What has Vini done here in recent years? How many Champions Leagues has he won? How many goals has he scored? He's a tree with plenty of fruit. And people throw stones because they want fruit.”
The message was clear. The dressing room is united, the old feud buried, and Mourinho is ready to absorb the blows so his stars can breathe. Now it’s on Tchouameni, Valverde and Vinicius to turn that calm into another season of trophies.
