Mourinho’s black eye came from a training-ground accident before Real Madrid friendly

Jose Mourinho’s swollen eye was caused by a football striking his glasses during training, rather than the more dramatic explanations suggested on social media.

The Portuguese manager appeared at Veltins-Arena with noticeable swelling around one eye as he took charge of Real Madrid’s final match of their pre-season camp in Germany against Schalke. His appearance quickly became one of the main talking points, with images prompting widespread speculation online.

However, the injury was described as minor and is not considered a cause for concern. Spanish newspaper AS reported that Mourinho was in the middle of a training session on the previous day when a ball unexpectedly hit his glasses. The impact broke the glasses and caused an injury around his eye.

The incident left Mourinho with visible bruising as he led Real Madrid in Gelsenkirchen, but AS said he was in good health and that the marks should fade naturally over the coming days.

The Schalke fixture was significant for Real Madrid beyond being their last friendly in Germany. It also provided the first appearances in the club’s colours for Konate, Diomande and Cucurella.

Thibaut Courtois, Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe also made their first appearances of the season, placing particular focus on Real Madrid’s line-up and the team’s final preparations before the new campaign begins.

Mourinho pleased with Real Madrid progress

Despite the injury, Mourinho continued his work as normal and left Real Madrid’s final stop in Germany satisfied with the progress made during pre-season.

“From a tactical point of view, the ideas are gradually becoming clearer. The players have outstanding quality, incredible quality. We are working extremely well as a team, both with and without the ball. I think it was a very good experience, and also an excellent final training session before the serious work begins,” Mourinho said after the match.

The manager stressed that the friendly fixtures had been part of the preparation process rather than the main test facing his side. He said the real challenge would begin when Real Madrid started playing competitive matches and fighting for points.

“The hard work is the competition, fighting for points. That is what we like, and we are close to reaching it,” he added.

Mourinho therefore returned to Madrid pleased with the stage Real Madrid had reached during their preparations. He also left Germany with a bruise around his eye that is expected to remain visible for a few days.

The unusual appearance attracted attention because it was initially unexplained, but the cause was ultimately straightforward: a ball had struck his glasses during training the day before the Schalke match.