“He's better than Mourinho” » Iker Casillas, controversial comparison between “The Special One” and a La Liga coach
Article by Alexandru Stanciu – Published Tuesday, 09 June 2026, 16:33 / Updated Tuesday, 09 June 2026 16:33
Iker Casillas (45), the former captain of Real Madrid, answered some “lightning questions” in a podcast, and the legendary goalkeeper surprised when he called Jose Bardalas (62), Getafe's technician, “a better coach than Jose Mourinho (63)”.
“The Special One” had Casillas as his pupil at Real Madrid during his first spell at the Bernabeu between 2010 and 2013. The two fell out midway through last season and Mourinho replaced the legendary goalkeeper with Diego Lopez.
Now, Jose Mourinho is preparing for his second term at Real Madrid. The Lusitanian technician landed today in the Spanish capital and is to be officially presented at the “Bernabeu”.
Iker Casillas disrespected Jose Mourinho
Challenged by influencer Adri Contreras to participate in a quiz about coaches, Iker Casillas had a controversial answer from the very first question, when he chose Jose Bordalas over Jose Mourinho.
Jose Bordalas, coach of Getafe / Photo: Imago
The preference has once again exposed the strained relationship between Casillas and Mourinho. In “The Special One's” first term at Real Madrid, the legendary goalkeeper was “relegated” to the bench.
Although he recently stated that he has “no problem with Mourinho” and considers him “a great professional”, Casillas made clear his opposition to “The Special One” returning to the Bernabeu: “I don't want him at Real Madrid. I think other coaches would be better equipped to coach the club of my life. It's a personal opinion, nothing more.”
Jose Bordelas led Getafe to a 7th place finish in La Liga this season, thus qualifying the team for the Conference League. Throughout his career, the Iberian technician has also trained teams such as Alicante, Eldense, Hercules, Elche, Alaves or Valencia. Bordelas has only one trophy in his coaching career, winning Spain's second division with Alaves in the 2015-2016 season.
On the other hand, Jose Mourinho has a clearly superior career to Bordelas. “The Special One”, double winner of the Champions League, among many other trophies, coached FC Porto, Benfica, Inter, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Tottenham, AS Roma or Fenerbahce throughout his career.
