According to Sport, changes are happening within Real Madrid. For decades, the club has made a big event of introducing new star signings, from over 50,000 fans welcoming Kaká in 2009 to approximately 85,000 attending Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival a few days later, the Bernabéu stadium has always been adorned for such occasions. Years later, Eden Hazard and, more recently, Kylian Mbappé experienced similar ceremonies.

However, this summer's situation is entirely different. Real Madrid has signed several players for Mourinho's project, but none have yet had a formal presentation to the fans. Cucurella, Konate, Dumfries, Bernardo Silva, Diomande, and Espiau are already familiar with Valdebebas, have started training with their new teammates, and some have even played in the white shirt, but they have not yet had their Bernabéu presentation. For Real Madrid, a club that usually places great importance on presenting new signings, this situation is unusual.

Seven Signings, Zero Presentations

Real Madrid's summer started abruptly with the presidential election held first. After Florentino Pérez won the election, the club welcomed back Mourinho. This return itself warranted a grand presentation. The Portuguese coach was officially announced on June 11, after which Real Madrid began a deep restructuring of its squad. Subsequently, Bernardo Silva, Marc Cucurella, Ibrahima Konate, Denzel Dumfries, and Carlos Espiau joined, with Jean-Diomande concluding this active transfer window. So far, these six players and one coach have become part of the daily routine at Valdebebas.

However, such active transfer operations contrast sharply with the fact that these players have not yet had official presentations. New signings have been announced successively, joined Mourinho's training system, and some players have even made their debut in the white jersey, but the traditional Bernabéu presentation remains pending. Most notably, Dumfries' presentation, originally scheduled for July 28, was postponed a few days prior. Since then, all new signings' presentation schedules have stalled.

The reason largely stems from the impact of the World Cup. The previous season almost seamlessly connected with national team competitions, disrupting the original rhythm of the transfer market. Real Madrid had to wait for many players to return to the squad, including several new signings. Additionally, the team's pre-season schedule this summer has been unprecedentedly dense, with travel, training, and friendly matches squeezing the entire summer timetable. More troublesome is that Real Madrid needs to arrange presentations for a total of seven new members, a number significantly higher than usual.

Now the World Cup is over, but the season is fast approaching. Real Madrid is entering the final stage of pre-season preparation, and Mourinho can almost fully utilize the entire squad, with the first league match against Espanyol scheduled for August 22. The special circumstances that could justify delays a few weeks ago are gradually losing their persuasiveness as the official start of the season nears.

Bernabéu May Host a Collective Presentation

The absence of individual presentations opens up the possibility for Real Madrid to arrange a large collective presentation at the Bernabéu stadium. The club has not officially confirmed this plan, but given the tight schedule in recent weeks, it is indeed one of the options Real Madrid is considering. The World Cup compressed the pre-season, and the club couldn't find time to organize traditional presentation ceremonies, leading them to favor finding a suitable time and venue to introduce the new faces to the fans collectively.

In this scenario, another option that has emerged is to revive the Santiago Bernabéu Trophy. This traditional tournament has not been held since 2018 due to the pandemic, stadium construction, and Real Madrid's new pre-season model. If reinstated, it would provide an ideal stage for Real Madrid to present all its new signings collectively this summer. For Real Madrid, this would mean the Bernabéu returning to a historic event and providing the most suitable occasion to showcase Mourinho and the new players.

This idea is not without precedent. Real Madrid has previously used the Bernabéu Trophy to introduce new signings collectively to fans. For example, in 2011, the club had planned a collective presentation for new players during the Bernabéu Trophy match against Galatasaray.

However, this plan also has a very realistic limitation: the schedule. Real Madrid is playing the Trofeo Teresa Herrera this Wednesday against Deportivo La Coruña. On the 16th, the team will travel to Germany for its last scheduled friendly against Schalke 04. Real Madrid's official season opener is on the 22nd against Espanyol. The time between these dates is very limited, complicating the arrangement of both a home match and a presentation.

A simpler approach might be to utilize the Bernabéu's first home league match. Real Madrid's first home match of the season is scheduled for August 26 against Real Sociedad. That match could become the first official reunion of the new squad with the home fans, and also allow these new signings to appear together at the Bernabéu stadium for the first time.

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