The former Real Madrid player and assistant manager appeared on Iker Casillas’s Podcast
Former Real Madrid defender and assistant coach Aitor Karanka appeared on Iker Casillas’ podcast Under the Goalposts, where he spoke at length about his return to the club in 2010, his relationship with José Mourinho, and the pressures of one of the most intense periods in Real Madrid’s recent history.
Karanka began by recalling how unexpectedly his return to Real Madrid came about.
“I had dropped the kids off at school when Hierro called me. ‘Hey kid, where are you? Come here, I need to explain something to you. Valdano called and wants you to be Mourinho’s assistant.’ I told him to lay off the alcohol in the morning (laughs), but he kept insisting.”
Karanka said he initially struggled to believe it but soon realized the opportunity was real.
“I went to his house and he explained that I was the one Real Madrid wanted as their assistant.”
At the time, Karanka had no prior relationship with Mourinho and wanted clarity before accepting.
“I didn’t know Mourinho at all. I met with Valdano and asked him what José thought of me. He’s the person I’d be working with every day, and I needed to know what he thought.”
That conversation led to a direct call from Mourinho.
“He called me, and I listened to him for 45 minutes. He told me everything that was going to happen. I didn’t ask him why me either. I found out later.”
Karanka explained that Mourinho sought recommendations from several former Real Madrid players.
“Everywhere he went, he asked for former players with coaching licenses. He then asked Figo, Mijatović, and Seedorf, and they all spoke highly of me. That’s how it happened.”
Returning to Valdebebas was deeply meaningful for Karanka.
“You think how lucky you are to be back at Real Madrid. I was really eager to learn and help in any way I could.”
Karanka then reflected on the early days of Mourinho’s tenure and the challenge posed by Barcelona.
“We all saw it the same way. We got to know each other, we learned, and we helped each other. The best coach in the world comes to a group that already has the best players, but there was a rival that was…”
He identified the 5–0 defeat at Camp Nou as an early shock.
“The first blow was the five-goal thrashing at the Nou Camp. The first few months were spectacular, and we thought we could compete on equal terms, and then we realized we had to change.”
According to Karanka, the Copa del Rey final in Valencia marked a turning point.
“For me, the match that changed everything was the final in Valencia. That’s when we realized we had to give our all to compete.”
He also addressed the intense run of Clásicos in the 2010–11 season.
“Were we prepared to play those four Clásicos in such a short time? Looking back now, maybe not. But if we had been prepared, things wouldn’t have turned out the way they did.”
“There were bad things, and some very good things. People still remember it. There were things we all would have done differently, but it was what we had to deal with. It was practically right after we arrived.”
Karanka spoke about the extreme demands of Mourinho’s second season, which ended with Real Madrid winning La Liga.
“The numbers from that second year show that we were all pushing each other to the limit. José pushed the staff to the limit, the staff pushed the players, and the players pushed us.”
“We knew that the only way to win and take that step was by pushing everyone to their limits.”
Even after winning the league, Mourinho’s standards did not drop.
“After the Granada match, when we had won La Liga, José gave a talk where we all looked at each other as if to say, ‘But we’ve won La Liga!’ That was his demand to make history. The numbers are still there.”
Karanka then revisited the Champions League semifinal loss to Bayern Munich.
“After that loss to Bayern Munich… Cristiano, Kaká, and Sergio missed the penalties.”
He described the emotional aftermath.
“That day, arriving at the dressing room and the atmosphere… Rui was always with the manager, and he asked me if I could take José.”
“It felt like three days getting from the Bernabéu to La Finca. You don’t know what to talk about.”
Karanka recalled a deeply personal moment with Mourinho that night.
“When we got to the gate, he wouldn’t get out. I told him, ‘José, relax. Working like this, it has to happen.’”
“We hugged, we started crying, and he said to me, ‘This was the year.’”
Reflecting on what followed, Karanka acknowledged that changes may have been needed earlier.
“Many times, and José said it, you change when things have gone badly. We should have changed when things were going well.”
“I would have changed the environment with new people. I would have tried to be more conciliatory.”
Despite the difficulties, Karanka emphasized the lasting impact of that era.
“The recognition comes from the fans, and they still remember that. Something was set in motion for what came after.”
One of his most painful memories came during Mourinho’s final season.
“Being at the press conference where José said not to boo the players, that he’d come out before they booed him and to leave them alone.”
Karanka criticized how that moment was portrayed publicly.
“José’s message was to keep the dressing room in good spirits, and then I’d get home and watch the news and they’d say Mourinho was challenging the Bernabéu crowd.”
“Everything changed. I can still picture José’s face that day. Seeing José’s face, suffering, was difficult.”
Category: General Sports
