Florentino Perez Rants at Press as Jose Mourinho Returns to Real Madrid

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez held a press conference on Tuesday, his first in more than a decade. He lashed out at journalists, raised conspiracy theories and said they would have to "shoot him out" of the Bernabeu stadium.

The event kicked off a new phase at the club. Everyone present knew Jose Mourinho would return as manager, 13 years after his previous stormy tenure from 2010 to 2013.

Perez's approach matches Mourinho's style. Both embrace a siege mentality, view the world as us against them, turn grievances into weapons and treat media as foes. Perez often blasts referees, claims media seek to ruin him and says La Liga favors Barcelona.

That mindset already shapes the Bernabeu. Predecessor Alvaro Arbeloa adopted it too. For Perez, this makes the hire logical.

The dressing room faces deep issues. Players have fought. Vinicius Jr. pushed for Xabi Alonso's sacking as manager. Kylian Mbappe lacks support and feels out of place. The squad ended a second straight season without a major trophy.

Mourinho brings a firm hand, a big name and no patience for defiance. Perez, who struggles to rein in his stars, sees the fit.

Numbers do not favor Mourinho. He has gone 11 years without a league title. Five of his last six jobs ended in dismissal or a push out.

An Amazon documentary at Tottenham, All or Nothing, showed problems. Training felt dull. Players tuned out. Half-time talks swung from apathy to yells. He publicly blamed players after losses. The locker room split into loyalists, resenters and the indifferent. He won nothing and left the club worse.

Those flops stemmed from more than tactics. Mourinho assumes his personality overrides a club's long-built values. At Spurs, the identity crumbled. Some diagnoses rang true, as at Manchester United, but remedies failed.

Real Madrid differs from Spurs, Manchester United, Chelsea or Roma. It holds its own culture, pride hierarchy and demands for victory.

Mourinho's last stay yielded one league title and a Copa del Rey. Ties soured badly. He called that time "almost violent" in January. Fans split. Perez, though, insists on enemies and vows to fight. Enter Mourinho.

A smarter return demands changes. Mourinho must see winning as shared, not imposed. His past stints list errors: poor adaptation to squads, neglect of staff needs, claiming wins but dodging losses.

Spain downplayed one incident. Mourinho countered racist abuse claims against Vinicius Jr. by Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni. He cited Eusebio, Benfica's black legend, to deny club racism. It stirred talk then faded. The hiring debate ignored it, showing the club's desperation.

Vinicius and Mbappe coexist uneasily. Three managers—Carlo Ancelotti, Xabi Alonso, Arbeloa—failed to pair them. Expected chemistry never formed. Mourinho's record with tough pairings mixes results. At Inter Milan, he shifted Samuel Eto'o to right wing for the Treble. In Madrid, he handled Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, keeping them working.

He demands signing input on positions and needs. In his first spell, he got Luka Modric, Sami Khedira and Mesut Ozil—smart calls. He wants his staff in key spots. The club will keep its medical and fitness team. Blending that setup tests his growth.

He inherits two empty seasons. The squad lacked fire and missed the Champions League top 10 twice in group play.

Perez skipped all that Tuesday. He hit the press, conspiracies and foes. He sang Mourinho's tune, skipping soccer talk.

Mourinho must address it. He needs to build trust, shape culture without force and grasp the club's scale. Perez's conference may start something. Success hinges on lessons from his last decade. He claims growth. Madrid will see.