Joel Guerrero

The history of soccer is full of players who stumble through a rough season only to reinvent themselves when the next one begins. But early signs suggest Eduardo Camavinga, now 23, may not be headed for that kind of turnaround. The French midfielder spent the summer grinding to arrive in top shape after the disappointment of missing the World Cup due to a poor campaign.

The future of Thiago Pitarch, just 18, is more uncertain than ever. Fresh off winning the Under‑19 European Championship with Spain, the academy standout returned to Real Madrid eager to fight for a place under José Mourinho. But only nine days after lifting the trophy, his first face‑to‑face with the Portuguese coach took a bad turn: a misstep in his first training session left him sidelined for roughly six weeks.

José Mourinho spoke to Real Madrid TV after his team’s draw against Fiorentina in its third preseason friendly, following two closed-door training games against Alcorcón and Leganés. Mourinho’s “three different Real Madrids” “I saw a Real Madrid with three different faces: fresh, tired, and exhausted,” Mourinho said. “The fresh team played really well. Being up just 2-1 at halftime didn’t reflect how good we were. It was an outstanding first half, and we easily could have been leading 3-0 or 4-0.