A profound crisis has engulfed Real Madrid, with the club enduring a two-season trophy drought, internal player conflicts, and an unprecedented public outburst from president Florentino Pérez. The recent 2-0 loss to arch-rivals Barcelona, which secured the league title for the Catalan giants, has only deepened the sense of disarray at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Player unrest and on-field struggles
The sporting failures extend beyond the pitch, with reports of significant internal strife. Midfielders Aurélien Tchouaméni and Federico Valverde were involved in a training ground clash last week, resulting in Valverde sustaining a cut to his head that required hospital attention. Both players were subsequently fined $588,000 by the club. Valverde later described the incident on social media as a “meaningless fight.” A separate, minor incident involving Álvaro Carreras was also reported in training.
Star forward Kylian Mbappé, brought to the club in 2024, has become a focal point of fan frustration. Despite his high-profile arrival, Madrid has failed to secure a single major honor since. The 27-year-old missed the crucial match against Barcelona, citing muscle soreness, yet was later pictured on holiday with his girlfriend while the team struggled. In Madrid’s latest fixture against Real Oviedo, Mbappé did not start, only appearing as a second-half substitute, where he was heavily booed by the home crowd.
The club’s on-field performance has also been marred by critical errors. In the Champions League quarterfinal second leg against Bayern Munich, Eduardo Camavinga received a red card in the 86th minute for time-wasting, picking up the ball after a foul when the score was 3-2 to Real Madrid, level on aggregate, with extra-time seemingly inevitable, as reported by CNN.
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Pérez’s extraordinary press conference
The escalating tension culminated in an extraordinary, late-notice press conference called by club president Florentino Pérez on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, as reported by AP News. The 79-year-old president, known for his reserved demeanor, arrived 18 minutes late and spent much of the 21-minute address attacking the press and engaging in arguments with specific journalists.
“I want to talk about all those I believe are behind this campaign… some people are moving in the shadows to run for elections. Well, let them run. This is the opportunity I am giving them,” Pérez declared, confirming his health and readiness to lead.
Ruairidh Barlow, editor of Football España, offered a stark assessment of the president’s actions. “He’s been in charge of Madrid for 26 years across two spells, and this is the first time we’ve seen anything like this,” Barlow commented. “I think the effort was to provide a little bit of a smoke screen as to the sporting failures for Real Madrid… But in essence, I think what he did was kind of show a form of weakness. Why did he come out and do this? It’s got to be because he’s feeling threatened.”
Mourinho’s shadow looms
Amidst the turmoil, speculation has intensified regarding the potential return of José Mourinho. The 63-year-old, currently managing Benfica in the Portuguese top flight, previously led Real Madrid to a league title between 2010 and 2013. However, the prospect of his return is viewed with a degree of skepticism in some quarters.
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“I think most people are seeing this as sort of a Hail Mary. There’s a desperation in it,” Barlow added. “What is it that Mourinho can bring to this beyond his personality? That’s what people are kind of searching for.”
Sources: edition.cnn.com, www.cnn.com, apnews.com
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