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The Athletic FC: Mourinho in Turkey – a match made in heaven; Mbappe to Real latest

James BAOUCH

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Hello! The world was looking at Real Madrid. Then Jose Mourinho entered stage left…{{/ifContains}}

On the way:

🇹🇷 Turkish mania as Mourinho joins Fenerbahce

🏰 Real’s new Champions League empire

✍ Mbappe to complete Bernabeu move

😮 Chicho Arango from downtown

Mourinho Mania 🎉


(YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images)

Real Turkish delight

There is, it seems, no shortage of people who want a piece of Jose Mourinho.

On Saturday night, he was cosying up to Jude Bellingham’s mother for a selfie at the Champions League final. On Sunday, he brought gridlock to the streets of Istanbul as Fenerbahce unveiled him as their new manager.

Mourinho is the equivalent of a past-his-peak Mike Tyson. He might not be the best of the best anymore. He might not be dominating his sport. But he’s box office to the end and he’ll always draw a crowd, a ticket-seller like very few others.

There were thousands waiting to greet him — literally thousands — in Istanbul yesterday. Our own Tim Spiers was with them: at the airport, outside and inside Fenerbahce’s Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, experiencing what one journalist described as “a true Turkish madness”.

“Normally a coach is loved after victories,” Mourinho told the masses. “In this case I feel I am loved before the victories. This shirt is my skin.”

The gift of the gab. He’s not lost it.

Into the powderkeg 

The Fenerbahce post is Mourinho’s first since Roma sacked him in January.

For Fenerbahce and for Turkish football, it’s a coup. For Mourinho, it’s more indicative of his current standing.

A lot of very prominent European club jobs have been vacant recently. He hasn’t gone close to any of them. An adventure in Turkey keeps him in the job he loves — but at a club where no coach, not even The Special One, can afford to cruise.

Fenerbahce haven’t won the domestic title for a decade. They’ve just lost out narrowly to Galatasaray, their bitter Istanbul rivals. Nick Miller went to watch those two sides play in the Intercontinental Derby last month. No love lost there.

The antipathy between them is incendiary. You might wonder if dropping Mourinho into the mix is a good idea, but there’s no doubt it will be worth following, which is exactly the attention Turkish football and Mourinho crave.

Madrid Just Being Madrid 👑

The House of Ancelotti

Sore heads all round at one of Mourinho’s many old clubs, Real Madrid. Saturday brought them their 15th European Cup, courtesy of a gruelling Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund.

I’d go as far as saying that this particular triumph was preordained by a higher power. Real’s talent is undeniable, but in the knockout stages, the cards fell for them when they needed to: Kevin De Bruyne missing a mega chance for Manchester City in the quarter-finals, Manuel Neuer dropping the ball for Bayern Munich in the semis, Dortmund’s Niclas Fullkrug hitting the inside of the post at 0-0 on Saturday.

The reality with Real is that they make things happen, like teasing a headed goal out of 5ft 8in (173cm) Dani Carvajal. Jude Bellingham has been a sensation, yet Vinicius Junior could pip him to the Ballon d’Or. Meanwhile, Carlo Ancelotti (five Champions Leagues as a coach and counting) is cementing his reputation as The Don.

All in all, they’re so hard to touch. And the bad news for Europe is that they won’t get weaker any time soon.


(Aurelien Meunier – PSG/PSG via Getty Images)

Mbappe incoming?

Squad building at the Bernabeu is already underway. Toni Kroos is done, his club career now over, but Luka Modric has signed a new one-year extension with Real. Lucas Vazquez should also renew his deal shortly.

Much bigger, though, is the impending arrival of Kylian Mbappe. It’s been in the pipeline for ages and an announcement from Real is due this week, teeing France’s golden boy up for his own Mourinho-style introduction.

Combine that with 17-year-old Endrick, joining from Palmeiras in Brazil, and you have to ask: who will get in the way of European Cup number 16 next season?

News Round-Up 🗞

Tournaments & Transfers ⚽


(Getty Images; design: Dan Goldfarb)

I hope you’re hungry because this summer, you’ll be feasting on Euro 2024, the Copa America, the Olympics and the Premier League’s pre-season schedule.

You can read about The Athletic’s plans for it all from our editor-in-chief (and in-house Grimsby Town fan) Laura Williamson here – including supercharged transfer coverage. David Ornstein is revving his engine.

First up, we’ve gone deep into every nation in Group A at the Euros. Do me a favour and pray for Scotland.

Quiz Answer ❓

Friday’s quiz question asked: Which eight players appeared in the Champions League in both 2007-08 and 2023-24?

They were: Manuel Neuer, Jesus Navas, Ivan Rakitic, Sergio Ramos, Angel Di Maria, Joao Moutinho, Pepe and Jonny Evans. Impressive mileage.

… And Finally 😮

We wouldn’t want you missing the goal of the weekend from MLS — Chicho Arango from (beyond) the halfway line for Real Salt Lake against Austin FC. Lionel Messi will have a hard time beating Arango to the Golden Boot.

(Top photo: YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images)



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