Mourinho calls Mbappe’s display ‘crazy’ after Real Madrid return

Jose Mourinho described Kylian Mbappe’s performance as “crazy” after Real Madrid moved to the top of La Liga with a 4-1 victory over Real Sociedad, while admitting his side had been made to struggle during a difficult first half.

The match, which was postponed from the opening round of the Spanish league season, saw Mbappe score a hat-trick and Vinicius Junior add the other goal for Real Madrid. Luka Sucic scored Real Sociedad’s only goal.

Mourinho said Real Sociedad had surprised his team before the interval and made it difficult for the hosts to apply pressure.

“Real Sociedad are a very good team and caused us difficulties in the first half,” Mourinho told Real Madrid’s television channel. “I would have liked to have had a short break in the 20th or 25th minute so I could speak to the players.”

He added: “Real Sociedad surprised us and they did not create many dangerous chances, but it was difficult for us to press them. We changed our way of playing in the second half, and it was important to remain calm because pressing randomly, without clear references, would have made things even more difficult.

“We kept our composure and the second half was very, very, very strong.”

Real Madrid’s response after the break secured a convincing win, although Mourinho believed his side could have scored more.

“We could have scored more goals, but considering what they produced in the first half, I think it is frustrating for them to go home having conceded four,” he said.

Mourinho was particularly impressed by Mbappe, although he stressed that Real Madrid’s success came from a collective performance rather than one individual.

“There is something I do not like and sometimes have to do, which is talk about a player individually, but what Kylian did was crazy,” Mourinho said.

“Mbappe has the ability to score and create. When the team is having difficulties, he can drop back to link up with Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham, and help the team move forward and build danger.”

He continued: “He certainly had a great game, but the team was always one team. This was a big performance from the players, with many high-quality individual displays.”

The victory was Mourinho’s first official appearance as Real Madrid manager at Santiago Bernabeu for 4,834 days, or more than 13 years. The home supporters welcomed their new manager by chanting his name when the match began.

Asked about returning to the stadium, Mourinho said: “It is more beautiful and wonderful. Winning makes everything great.”

He said he had remained calm before kick-off, despite the usual match-day adrenaline.

“Before the game I was calm, as always, despite the usual adrenaline before a match,” he added. “We spoke calmly in the dressing room, and they made me enjoy my work as a coach and as someone who loves football.”

Real Madrid had begun the week with a 2-1 win against Espanyol in the second round of La Liga, while Real Sociedad had lost 1-0 to Real Betis.

The result leaves Real Madrid on six points, level with Sevilla and Real Betis at the top of the table. Real Sociedad remain bottom without a point after two defeats.