Gareth Bale: Mourinho must 'manage egos' at Real Madrid

Gareth Bale says Jose Mourinho’s primary task on his return to Real Madrid will be to manage egos within a star-studded dressing room that includes Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham. The Welshman described the group as a ‘Galacticos’ squad and suggested that, at a club of Madrid’s stature, psychological navigation can matter more than tactical coaching.

“At a big club like Madrid, you don’t need to really coach. You need to manage egos. That’s why he’s been so successful at the biggest clubs,” Bale said, stressing the importance of veteran leadership in a high-pressure environment. On Mourinho’s methods, Bale added: “He also has that experience.

He only prods to get the best out of you. He’ll try and figure each player out and find whatever it takes to make them tick. Sometimes it might be (prodding) someone in the media, sometimes it might be just putting an arm around them. Jose has been at Madrid, he understands the dynamic and he knows how things work.

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