Ander Herrera says Jose Mourinho has the charisma, strength and resilience required to rebuild Real Madrid and return the club to Barcelona’s level.
The Manchester United legend was speaking on the “Mario’s Way” podcast, hosted by his friend Mario Suarez, during a wide-ranging interview about a playing career that is still continuing with his boyhood club Real Zaragoza.
Herrera played under several prominent managers during spells with Athletic Club, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Boca Juniors, including Mourinho, who is currently in charge of Real Madrid. The midfielder reflected at length on the Portuguese manager’s personality, methods and relationship with his players.
“Mourinho is a manager for men, in my view,” Herrera said. “He belongs to an era of football in which players were not so sensitive. Criticism was understood, accepted and respected, and so were the hierarchies within the team.”
Herrera worked with Mourinho at Manchester United, the club for which he has made the most appearances alongside Athletic Club. According to Transfermarkt, he played 189 matches for each side.
He recalled an incident that, in his view, captured both Mourinho’s demanding nature and the closeness he could maintain with his squad.
“I remember a match after the game against Saint-Etienne in the Europa League, when Mourinho stood in front of everyone and told me I had been terrible and so on,” Herrera said. “But the next day, we hugged.”
Mourinho began his second spell as Real Madrid manager this season. After a difficult start, the club has recovered its form and remained unbeaten since the international break. Victories in the Champions League and in the Clasico have put Real Madrid back in contention for every major trophy.
Herrera acknowledged the scale of the challenge facing his former manager at the Bernabeu, but insisted Mourinho was capable of finding solutions.
“I see Mourinho facing a difficult bull to tame,” he said. “Real Madrid are coming off two difficult years, during which there was a lot of noise around the team and its leading players. We are in the post-Toni Kroos and post-Luka Modric era, and that is not easy. It is a demanding task.”
The interview appears to have been recorded before the Clasico, which Real Madrid won 2-1 against Barcelona through a Kylian Mbappe double. Although the hosts were not completely smooth or convincing in their style of play, Herrera noted that the improvement from their previous matches had been substantial.
He also recognised the difficulty of facing a Barcelona side managed by Flick.
“Then he is up against an unbeatable Barcelona,” Herrera said. “All these circumstances have come together, but if there is someone with the charisma – and I would also say the strength and toughness – needed to turn things around, it is Mourinho.
“He has done it before, during his first spell, when he succeeded. I do not know whether he completely changed the balance, but he at least managed to bring Real Madrid to Barcelona’s level.”
