Jose Mourinho has been back at Real Madrid for just over two months, and he is already running out of superlatives for Kylian Mbappé.

“Mbappé is incredible. He makes me laugh sometimes in training. Because he is too good. He is at a stratospheric level,” the Portuguese told Josep Pedrerol on El Chiringuito on the night of August 18.

Asked to grade Mbappé’s 2025-26 campaign, Mourinho declined.

“It is not for me to judge or analyze what he did last season,” he said.

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31 goals, then 25: Two Pichichis in

Mbappé has finished as LaLiga’s top scorer in each of his two seasons in Spain:

• 2024-25: 31 goals, four clear of Robert Lewandowski, winning the Pichichi and the European Golden Boot on his debut Real Madrid campaign.

• 2025-26: 25 goals, sealing a second consecutive Pichichi.

That is the player Mourinho, back at Real Madrid on a three-year deal 13 years after his first spell, is now trying to sharpen further.

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Mbappé’s own verdict on his new coach

The 27-year-old spoke about Mourinho a few days earlier.

“I think it’s very positive to have a coach like Mourinho, who knows how to win, who knows how to give directions for us to do that,” Mbappé said in comments carried on August 15.

“I’m sure that we’re going to win titles again, that’s what we want and it’s going to happen.”

Mourinho’s 2010-13 stint at the Bernabéu produced a LaLiga title, a Copa del Rey and a Supercopa. Real Madrid’s domestic trophy count has not matched their own standard in the years since.

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Second opener as reigning Pichichi

Real Madrid’s scheduled Matchday 1 fixture at home to Real Sociedad was postponed because of players’ late World Cup involvement. The club now open their season at Espanyol’s RCDE Stadium on Saturday, August 22, kick-off at 9:30pm local time. The rescheduled Sociedad game follows on Wednesday, August 26 at the Bernabéu.

For the second season running, Mbappé walks into a Real Madrid opener as the reigning Pichichi. This time, someone else on the touchline is doing the talking.

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