An iron fist joining a broken club: Inside Mourinho's Real return

An iron fist joining a broken club: Inside Mourinho's Real returnByGuillem BalagueBBC Sport columnistPublished1 minute agoThere are press conferences and then there are spectacles, not always matching communication strategies. What Real Madrid president Florentino Perez staged on Tuesday - emerging after more than a decade without a press conference to rage against journalists, invoke conspiracies and warn that they would have to "shoot him out" of the Bernabeu - was a man in a bunker, surrounded by enemies real and invented.It was the starting gun of a new era. Because hovering over that entire chaotic hour was the truth everyone in the room already knew: Jose Mourinho is coming back to Real Madrid, 13 years after his previous explosive stint.And here is the darkly fitting thing: Mourinho's entire managerial philosophy - the siege mentality, the us-against-the-world framing, the weaponisation of grievance, the use of media as the enemies - is perfectly calibrated for the climate Perez has spent years cultivating. A president who is highly critical of referees, who believes the media wants to destroy him, and that Barcelona are favoured by La Liga has finally found his ideal coach. Mourinho in final negotiations to become Real managerPublished1 day agoWhy Mourinho's return makes senseImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Jose Mourinho is returning to Real Madrid after 13 years awayThe paranoia runs in the corridors of power at the Bernabeu and will now be in the dugout with Mourinho - although, in fact, predecessor Alvaro Arbeloa has bought that vision of the world already.That, more than anything, is why this appointment makes sense in Perez's mind. Madrid's dressing room is fractured. There have been fights between players. Vinicius Jr got what he wanted when Xabi Alonso was sacked as manager. Kylian Mbappe is not loved and seems a strange body in the club. Then add to that the squad finished a second consecutive season withou...