Real Madrid Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois remains a big fan of Xabi Alonso but admits the club needed someone with the presence of Jose Mourinho.
Alonso was very good in 2025 after guiding Bayer Leverkusen to their first Bundesliga title and was expected to galvanize a Madrid side that surrendered their La Liga crown to Barcelona, lost to arch-rivals in the Copa del Rey final and crashed out of the Champions League against Arsenal in the quarter-finals.
But it was not to be, with Alonso leaving after less than eight months in charge following reported disagreements with president Florentino Perez and star striker Kylian Mbappé.
Courtois was saddened by Alonso’s failure at the Santiago Bernabéu and is very interested in how he fares at one of the Belgian’s former clubs, Chelsea.
He said: “When results go bad it’s always easy to point the finger at the manager. In some cases the dynamic wasn’t good, but with other players it was. I loved it. I liked the way he coached. He’s a great manager and if they give him time (at Chelsea) he’ll do well.”
Jose Mourinho “fills the room” – Real Madrid star Courtois
Alonso was replaced by Alvaro Arbeloa at Madrid, but the former Spain full-back struggled to win in a difficult dressing room that erupted with reports of widespread disagreements that culminated in a training ground brawl between Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde that left the latter needing hospital treatment.
Arbeloa left at the end of last season with Perez deciding a firm hand was needed. He opted for Mourinho, who returned to the club 13 years after his first spell came to an acrimonious end.
And Courtois, who worked with the Portuguese during his time at Chelsea, believes it was a sensible appointment.
“I was very happy with his return, I was excited,” said the Belgium international. “He wrote to me when he arrived in Madrid, but I ignored his message for two weeks. I was on a flight and I didn’t see him!
“He tells us that he has matured, that with experience he is calmer. At Chelsea he was tougher in the dressing room, but he still has the same personality. He fills the room; you can see his presence when he enters the dressing room. We needed something like that.”
Bellingham key to Real Madrid’s recovery
Mourinho’s impact was not instant, but the results are now starting to come. Madrid went into the international break on the back of eight straight wins in all competitions, including a 2-1 win at Barcelona that suggests this year’s title race is wide open.
The key to their success has been the form of Jude Bellingham. The England midfielder, who this week was named in the FIFPro World XI alongside team-mate Mbappe and Lionel Messi.he has scored five goals and added two assists in 16 games and Courtois is full of praise for the former Borussia Dortmund man.
“I value Bellingham very much. He is a great person, a good friend and a great footballer,” said Courtois. “He had a great first season, but last year, like everyone else, he didn’t play as well as he can. He also had a great World Cup; he was the best player in England. Now he’s showing that level in Madrid and he’s very important for us, both on the ball and in defensive tasks. I hope he ends up winning a lot of titles.”
Madrid, second in the table, three points behind Barça, returns to La Liga on Saturday with a home game against Celta de Vigo.
