MADRID, Aug. 18 — Jose Mourinho was officially presented as the new Real Madrid coach at a private ceremony at the club’s Valdebebas training ground on Tuesday.
Although Mourinho was confirmed for a second spell at the club at the start of the summer and has been leading training sessions since the start of preseason, he had not previously been formally presented by the club.
“This is like coming home,” Mourinho said in comments published on the Real Madrid website.
The Portuguese coach’s first spell between 2010 and 2013 saw the club win one La Liga title, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup, but he insisted his return was “even more special than the first time because then it was about reaching the top of the world, and now it’s a more emotional and heartfelt experience.”
“It’s like a mission,” he said. “It’s not about being worried about myself or whether I’m going to earn a lot or a little. I’m here to help everyone be better: players, staff… To create a culture of work, responsibility, ambition, and something I know well, which is the responsibility and honor of working for Real Madrid.”
“I’m one of you, I always have been, and you can imagine what it means to me to work for Real Madrid. This is a principle that everyone must follow: Work for Real Madrid,” he concluded.
Real Madrid kicks off its new season at home to Espanyol on Saturday.(Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
