Mourinho’s arrival sees Real Madrid’s muscle woes recede dramatically
According to AS, Real Madrid’s record with muscular injuries has improved considerably since Jose Mourinho returned to the club this season. After several campaigns in which injuries repeatedly disrupted the team’s plans, early signs suggest the Portuguese tactician has made progress on one of the club’s biggest concerns.
Only one muscle injury has been recorded so far, despite Real Madrid having a first‑team squad of close to 25 players. The number of muscle injuries previously kept hampering plans, leaving managers short of options and making injury prevention a major priority when Mourinho took charge. Since the start of the 2026/27 season, only Federico Valverde has succumbed to a muscle injury, picking up the problem during the Clasico against Barcelona. Muscle injuries are no longer a major issue for Real Madrid.
Injury record compared with last season
Beyond that, the Merengues have avoided another muscle‑injury‑related absence this season, apart from players who were already carrying fitness problems before the campaign began. Players such as Rodrygo, Thiago Pitarch, Eder Militao, Ferland Mendy and Asencio have all missed time, but their problems predate the start of the current campaign. The contrast with the same stage last season is considerable.
At that point last season, Real Madrid’s first‑team players had already missed a combined 39 matches through injury. Including players who carried injuries over from the previous campaign or suffered problems during the summer, the figure rose to 62 matches. Antonio Rudiger, David Alaba, Dean Huijsen, Trent Alexander‑Arnold, Dani Carvajal, Aurelien Tchouameni, Dani Ceballos and Franco Mastantuono all experienced muscular issues during the opening months of last season.
Mourinho’s preventive focus
Mourinho’s coaching staff has placed particular emphasis on physical preparation while keeping a close eye on each player’s training and match workload. The approach appears to be helping the squad maintain a higher level of fitness and ensuring greater availability of players for matches.
Although the early months have shown a relatively quiet injury record, there is still a long way to go and the situation cannot be guaranteed to remain unchanged. Nevertheless, the reduction in muscular problems represents a notable shift from the difficulties Real Madrid experienced in previous campaigns.