Casillas Slams Mourinho Madrid Return as Perez Defends His Position in Fiery Presser

Real Madrid icon Iker Casillas has thrown his weight behind the opposition to Jose Mourinho's anticipated homecoming, as the Benfica manager edges closer to a shock return to the Spanish capital.

The 63-year-old Portuguese coach appears set for a second spell with Los Blancos, though club supremo Florentino Perez sidestepped the topic entirely during an extraordinary press conference convened Tuesday evening.

Perez is believed to be the driving force pushing for Mourinho's appointment, particularly following Real's failure to reclaim the LaLiga crown from Barcelona and mounting internal strife. The club has been rocked by Kylian Mbappe's grievances and a damaging falling-out between teammates Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni.

Yet Casillas, whose 16-year Madrid career yielded five LaLiga titles and three Champions League crowns under various regimes including Mourinho's, has made his position crystal clear. The 44-year-old took to social media to articulate his reservations, stating: "I have no problem with Mourinho. He seems like a great professional to me. I don't want him at @realmadrid. I think other coaches would be better equipped to coach at the club of my life. Personal opinion. Nothing more."

Mourinho's previous tenure at the Bernabéu (2010-2013) delivered LaLiga and Copa del Rey silverware. His current Benfica contract expires later this year.

Perez Digs In

Perez used the press conference to insist he will not be stepping down as president, despite Real's disappointing campaign finale. Instead, he announced plans to trigger board elections.

"Thank you all for attending," he began. "I regret to tell you that I am not going to resign, but rather I have asked the board to initiate the electoral process for the elections to the board of directors, in which this current board of directors will participate."

When quizzed about potential managerial and transfer targets, Perez deflected: "I'm not going to talk about coaches or players. I'm here to return Real Madrid's assets to its members. They're taking them away from the members. They want me to leave, but I'm not going to leave. Instead, I'm going to run in the elections because I want to defend the idea that Real Madrid should continue to belong to its members."

The 79-year-old's combative tone extended beyond player and coaching matters. He lashed out at media outlets for peddling unsubstantiated claims about his health and engaged in heated exchanges with journalists, even threatening to cancel his subscription to ABC newspaper.

Perez also aimed his fire at La Liga itself, declaring: "And of course, the enemy, La Liga. We have to battle against La Liga. Corruption in the game, systematic."