Thirteen years later and Jose Mourinho’s paranoia hasn’t gone anywhere.
The returning Real Madrid coach has admitted he’s already testing the security of his dressing room.
Madrid had some leaks to the press last season during the final weeks of Xabi Alonso’s underwhelming tenure.
And in a test of his players’ reliability, Mourinho hatched a plan.
Before opening their LaLiga season, he admitted he told the players the line-up against Espanyol.
Mourinho explains mole rooting technique
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, he commented: “Mou’s first starting eleven… let’s see who among you has the best connections.
“The players already know who’s playing; it’s not my job to keep it a secret . Perhaps you’ll get the information in a couple of hours.”
Leaks were previously a problem for Mourinho in his first tenure, although it was never confirmed who from.
In his new Netflix documentary it’s heavily hinted that prime suspect Iker Casillas was the problem.
Mourinho’s history of Real Madrid leaks
Former assistant Rui Faria said: “We knew who the mole was, we were almost certain. Because, in the end, the answers were in the newspapers.
“You can’t prove it, but you’re almost certain of how things work.”
Marcelo added: “To this day, we still want to know who that wretch was who spilled the beans.”
Mourinho also discussed one of his biggest challenges this season, fitting Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr in the same team.
He commented: “Carlo Ancelotti found the perfect system with Brazil for Vini, Deschamps for Kylian, and Tuchel for Jude.
“It will be more difficult for Mourinho to find the perfect system to make all three shine, but I’m convinced we’ll have a great season with them.”
He added: “They are incredible, top-level players. And top players sometimes get frustrated when they don’t play with other top players.
“The tactical combination can be more complicated. But their positions on the pitch aren’t incompatible.”
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