Have you ever heard someone say a person is suffering from success? That’s the situation at Real Madrid. Madrid has been known for winning every tournament they join. With the most number of Champions League wins, their domestic trophies dominate Spain, and that has always been their expectation. But the standard has no longer been met.

Since the signing of Kylian Mbappe, who was a star from the age of 17 and had been eyed by Real Madrid since his first World Cup, they eventually signed him in 2024. The 23-24 season was one of their best, as they won La Liga and the Champions League that same year. Having a player like him alongside Vinicius Junior, who had just come off the best season of his career and was a runner-up for the Ballon d’Or, and Jude Bellingham, who had just arrived that same season after playing for Los Blancos. The world seemed ecstatic to see these star players on the same team, but their first season was a disappointment, to say the least.

BCCHS student Santiago Benitez (11) said, “I have seen Real Madrid at their best, beating some of the best teams in their campaigns.  Barcelona, Manchester City, and Bayern Munich have been destroyed by Madrid in the past. Now it’s the other way around. This team is unrecognizable; the passion is gone. I hope they’re able to return to form soon before it’s too late.”

Now Madrid has sacked their coach, Alvaro Arbeloa, and has appointed former manager Jose Mourinho. Nicknamed “the special one,” he has been selected to help the team return to its original state, where it is on top of the world. In the past, with Real Madrid, he won: La Liga, Copa de Rey, and Supercopa de España. Therefore, Mourinho has shown experience winning silverware, and he has been able to handle teams with many stars. Players such as Ronaldo, Eden Hazard, John Terry, Zlatan, and many more have all been managed by him. To add on, they all have won trophies with him. 

But despite the success he has had with teams, people believe this job will be too big for him. I believe it’s too early to decide what the future holds in store for the team. Real Madrid has yet to finish their election for the new president, and the summer signings haven’t begun. Until those events happen, we’ll be unable to tell whether the pieces will fall into place.