Back on the Real Madrid bench thirteen years after his first stint, Portuguese coach José Mourinho said on Friday that his three superstars Kylian Mbappé, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham were not "incompatible" on the field.

"They are incredible, top-level players. And top players are sometimes frustrated when they don't play with other top players. The tactical combination can be more complicated. But they don't have incompatible positions on the field," Mourinho said at his first press conference of the season.

"Ancelotti found the perfect system with Brazil for Vini, Deschamps for Kylian, Tuchel for Jude. It will be more difficult for Mourinho to find the perfect system to make all three shine, but I am convinced that we will have a great season with them," he stated.

The association between the three Madrid stars is one of the biggest challenges for the 63-year-old Portuguese coach, who risks facing the same dilemmas as his predecessors Carlo Ancelotti, Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa, all of whom failed to make the three stars play together without unbalancing their starting eleven.

The former Chelsea, Inter Milan and Manchester United coach, however, warned his players that defensive efforts were "non-negotiable" and called on them to overcome moments of "frustration" during the season.

"The defensive work of the attackers can be different in every match, with every opponent. But we have to defend as a team of eleven. If a team pushes us, corners us in our own half, we all have to defend. Then it depends on the situations. Some will really have to press, others will have to close down the spaces," he explained.

The Madrid coach begins his mission this Saturday in La Liga on the pitch of Espanyol Barcelona, a week later than the majority of other teams in the league due to the late return of international players who played in the 2026 World Cup.