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Real Madrid Bring Back Jose Mourinho As Coach 13 Years After First Spell

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Real Madrid is bringing back Jose Mourinho for a second stint some 13 years after he left the club, the Spanish powerhouse said Thursday. The Portuguese coach joins on a three-year contract and will officially take charge on July 13, when the preseason starts, the club said. Mourinho left no one in Spain indifferent to his abrasive, yet undeniably successful, managerial style when he first coached Madrid from 2010 to 2013. During his first run, he led Madrid to a Spanish league title and a Copa del Rey crown. Yet he is more remembered for his confrontational personality that ended up splitting his own squad and alienating all but the most hardcore fans, as well as a large part of the local media.

He will now inherit an underachieving team and rejoin a club in disarray.

Madrid hasn’t won a major title in two years with superstar striker Kylian Mbappe onboard. The club went through two coaches in Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa this season.

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The record 15-time European Cup winners have furthermore been embarrassed by series of unseemly events. There was a fight between players, fans jeering the team, and players questioning Arbeloa’s decisions.

Club president Florentino Pérez added to the sense of a club in crisis by giving a press conference to announce he would call early elections, which he then won, while blasting the media for what he considered a campaign to force him to quit.

Pérez’s re-election paved the way for Mourinho’s return.

Mourinho famously proclaimed himself as “a special one” over two decades ago when he was introduced as Chelsea’s coach, having led FC Porto to a surprising Champions League title in 2004.

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He lived up that boastful claim, making Chelsea a Premier League champion before he steered Inter Milan to the 2010 Champions League title, beating a seemingly unstoppable Barcelona en route to the final.

That convinced Pérez that Mourinho was the ideal coach to topple a Barcelona led by Pep Guardiola and Lionel Messi in La Liga.

The rivalry between Mourinho and Guardiola took the contests between their clubs to new heights.

Following a 2011 defeat to Barcelona, Mourinho outraged Barcelona supporters, and many neutral ones, by saying he “would be ashamed” to win a Champions League like Guardiola did, claiming Barcelona was favored by the referees. Mourinho even got physical, poking an assistant coach of Guardiola in the eye during a scuffle between their teams later that year.

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But after winning the 2012 La Liga title, Madrid and Mourinho parted ways in 2013 with three years left on his contract. That followed a shock loss in the Copa del Rey final to Atletico Madrid and with media reports of him falling out with some of his players like fan favorite Iker Casillas.

Now 63, Mourinho has lost his status of being a serial champion who only coaches the elite clubs.

His brilliant career has dimmed after a frustrating spell at Manchester United from 2016-2018. Since then, he has coached at Tottenham, Roma, Fenerbahce, and, last season, Benfica.

His only trophy since leaving United was the 2022 Conference League, Europe’s third-tier competition, won with Roma.

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But it seems that Pérez believes Mourinho’s experience and his strong personality are just what Madrid needs to take on a Barcelona side that is once again dominant thanks to its new talisman, Lamine Yamal.


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From Bal Sikander to Glasgow: The rise of CWG silver medallist Lovepreet | Other Sports News

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India’s Lovepreet Singh came within touching distance of a Commonwealth Games gold before settling for silver in the men’s +110kg weightlifting event at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games on Thursday.

 


The 28-year-old lifted a combined 388kg (176kg in the snatch and 212kg in the clean and jerk), finishing just one kilogram behind New Zealand’s David Andrew Liti, who claimed gold with a total of 389kg (166kg + 223kg). England’s Andrew Griffith took bronze with 356kg.

 

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Lovepreet’s silver upgraded the bronze medal he won at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and also ended India’s run of three medalless weightlifting events.

 
 


His performance capped a successful campaign for the Indian weightlifting contingent, which finished the Games with eight medals.


Who is Lovepreet Singh?


Born on September 6, 1997, in Bal Sikander village in Punjab’s Amritsar district, Lovepreet Singh grew up in a modest household.

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His father worked as a tailor, while his grandfather earned a livelihood by selling vegetables. Rather than following the family profession, Lovepreet was encouraged to pursue sport and took up weightlifting at the age of 13 at the DAV Ground in Amritsar.

 

Years of perseverance transformed the youngster from a village training centre into one of India’s premier heavyweight weightlifters. 


From Bal Sikander to the Commonwealth podium


Lovepreet announced himself on the international stage by winning silver in the men’s 109kg category at the 2021 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships.

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A year later, he secured bronze at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, earning India’s first medal in the men’s heavyweight division at those Games.

 


Following the restructuring of international weight categories, Lovepreet moved into the men’s +110kg division, where he continued to establish himself among the world’s top heavyweight lifters.

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His silver medal at Glasgow 2026 marks his second successive Commonwealth Games podium finish and underlines his consistency on the international stage.


An impressive resume


Lovepreet has steadily built an impressive international resume over the past few years.

 

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His medal-winning performances include silver at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in the men’s +110kg category, bronze at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in the men’s 109kg category, and silver at the 2021 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships.

 


The Glasgow campaign also saw him rewrite the Commonwealth Games record books after producing a snatch lift of 176kg, setting a new Games record in the discipline.


The road to CWG 2026 silver


Lovepreet looked destined for gold after a sensational performance in the snatch.

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He opened with a comfortable 168kg before successfully clearing 173kg on his second attempt. On his final attempt, the Punjab lifter produced a flawless 176kg lift to set a new Commonwealth Games snatch record and carry a commanding 10kg advantage into the clean and jerk.

 


His chances improved further after Samoa’s Sanele Mao, one of the pre-event favourites, failed all three snatch attempts.

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The clean and jerk, however, belonged to New Zealand’s David Liti.

 


Liti opened with 207kg before Lovepreet successfully matched his personal best of 212kg on his second attempt. With the crowd chanting “Come on, Jatta” and “Come on, Singh”, Lovepreet attempted 217kg on his final lift — a weight that would have broken the Commonwealth Games record and secured gold.

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Although he managed to clean the bar, he could not complete the jerk.

 


That left the door open for Liti, who responded with a Games-record clean-and-jerk lift of 223kg to finish with a total of 389kg and snatch the gold by a single kilogram.

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“I thought I would win gold after snatch but it was up to God. Little disappointed that I couldn’t lift in my final attempt in clean and jerk. I have lifted more in training,” Lovepreet said after the competition.


What’s next for Lovepreet?


Winning silver at Glasgow further strengthens Lovepreet Singh’s position as India’s leading heavyweight weightlifter.

 

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Having now won medals at consecutive Commonwealth Games and established himself as a record-holder at the event, the Punjab lifter will shift his focus to the World Weightlifting Championships, Asian Championships and the qualification cycle for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

 


With his performances continuing to improve in the +110kg category, Lovepreet remains one of India’s strongest medal hopes at major international competitions.

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George Pickens reveals true feelings on Jerry Jones’ comments for Cowboys WR over contract extension talks

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Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens responded to Jerry Jones’ comments about his future with the franchise.

On Tuesday, Jones had high praise for Pickens. He also highlighted the possibility of him playing for the Cowboys for the rest of his NFL career. Pickens expressed his appreciation for those kind words on Thursday.

“Super excited,” Pickens said. “I’m always super happy when someone thinks highly of me, so shout out to Jerry.”

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The Cowboys acquired George Pickens via a trade with the Steelers in May 2025. In 17 games, he posted an impressive 1,429 yards on 93 receptions and nine touchdowns. There was a lot of chatter about a potential contract extension following his performance.

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However, in February, the Cowboys placed a franchise tag on him. Pickens signed the $27.3 million franchise tag in April. While speaking about the wide receiver, Jerry Jones said that he expects great things from Pickens in 2026.

“He’s a valued part of our aspirations and our potential success,” Jones said. “I hope that he comes out here and is the most prolific, successful receiver in the NFL this year. And how would you like to be a free agent and with his credentials and step out there and have a year like that? I wish all of that because if that happens, that (would be) good for us.

“This can be a very win-win thing that we’ve done here, us and George being on the team. Make no mistake about it, George could be a Cowboy for the rest of his career and that’d be a long time. Make no mistake about it. This (franchise tag) just fit for us and thank goodness it fit for him and we got it done.”

The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Pickens with the No. 52 pick in 2022. In three seasons, he recorded 2,841 yards on 174 receptions and 21 TDs.


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ALSO READ: George Pickens faces lofty expectations from former WR after officially going through franchise tag extension deadline

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Dak Prescott “excited” to play alongside George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb in the 2026 season

Dak Prescott has already built a rapport with CeeDee Lamb over the past few years. Last season, he also built chemistry with George Pickens, providing him with more help on offense.

On Thursday, Prescott was questioned about his strategy heading into Year 2 with Lamb and Pickens by his side.

“It’s exciting. They help me be comfortable,” Prescott said. “Those guys are ridiculous in their ability to get one, ability to win in one-on-one. Right now, it’s just about continuing to communicate about the zones and where they need to be in certain timings. … They’re just a complement to this whole offense.”

The Cowboys play the New York Giants on the road in their season-opener on Sept. 13.