Casillas stated, “Mourinho is a great professional, but I don’t want him at Real Madrid.”
Former goalkeeper Iker Casillas (44) has made it clear he does not want José Mourinho (63) to return as Real Madrid’s head coach for the upcoming season, even as he acknowledges that the current Benfica boss is “a great professional.”
“I have no issues with Mourinho. I see him as a true professional. However, I do not want him at Real Madrid. I believe other coaches would be better suited to lead the club of my life. This is just my personal opinion, nothing more,” the ex-Real Madrid and Porto goalkeeper wrote on social media platform X.
Casillas, who played over 700 matches for Real Madrid between 1995 and 2015, worked under Mourinho at the Spanish capital club for three seasons (2010-2013). Their relationship soured after Mourinho decided to bench Casillas in favor of regular substitute Diego López, citing that he “liked him much more.”
Mourinho, who took charge of Benfica for a second time on September 18, 2025, is considered a leading candidate to replace Álvaro Arbeloa, who stepped in for Xabi Alonso last January.
Although Mourinho still has a year left on his contract with the Lisbon club, both Benfica and the coach have the option to terminate the agreement ten days after the 2025/26 season’s final match.
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