According to Spanish media outlet OK Diario, Sandro Carrizo has become a key member of José Mourinho's coaching staff at Real Madrid. Though his name rarely appears in public, this sports science expert is responsible for analyzing player fitness, monitoring training load, and identifying risk signals before injuries occur.

The report states that Carrizo joined Real Madrid in July 2024, a move personally requested by Mourinho. After several seasons marked by recurring muscle injuries, Mourinho believed the club needed a sports science expert he could fully trust to revolutionize physical management and strengthen injury prevention.

Carrizo is neither a physiotherapist nor a doctor; his expertise lies in physiology and sports science. His primary role is to research how each player's body responds to training and matches, monitor training load, and provide relevant data to the coaching staff. In essence, he quantifies player fatigue levels through data analysis.

The 40-year-old Carrizo spent much of his career in Portugal. He initially worked with smaller clubs like Linda-a-Velha, then joined Benfica in the 2013-14 season, primarily working with youth teams and the academy.

In the 2015-16 season, Carrizo joined Benfica's first team and became one of the key experts in Benfica LAB, the club's sports science department responsible for applying science, technology, and data analysis to player performance.

Carrizo remained at Benfica for an extended period, gradually becoming a recognized expert in Portuguese football. While Benfica hoped to retain him, Mourinho's invitation and the opportunity presented by Real Madrid ultimately convinced Carrizo, who had worked for Benfica for 13 years, to make the move.

One of Carrizo's key roles in Mourinho's coaching staff is connecting the fitness, medical, and sports science departments. He works with fitness coaches and maintains close contact with the medical team, gathering player feedback and analyzing training data to help Mourinho determine which players can perform normally, which need reduced load, and which carry higher injury risk.

This working model prevents the medical and sports science departments from operating in isolation. Carrizo serves as a bridge between them, allowing Mourinho to make personnel decisions based on multiple factors rather than just coaching intuition or players' subjective physical sensations.

Mourinho has previously explained that every team decision must consider player feedback, training data, and medical staff input. This constant information exchange is part of Real Madrid's overall strategy to minimize injury risk.

Real Madrid insiders describe this mechanism as a "traffic light system." They believe that compared to last season, the biggest change is that the club has more "traffic lights." The club has hired additional specialists and advisors while strengthening preventive screening for players.

Real Madrid explained: "The real difference compared to last year is the number of 'traffic lights.' That is, starting this season, the club has more specialists, advisors, and preventive checks. Our goal is for the red light to come on earlier, giving us more time to react. Of course, this approach also has drawbacks, so nothing is absolute."

Early risk detection means the team can promptly reduce a player's training load, adjust training content, or even prevent a player from training and competing, stopping minor discomfort from escalating into serious injury. However, this system cannot provide completely accurate answers. Enhanced monitoring may also require the team to adopt more cautious measures, such as resting players who feel they could perform, or even temporarily altering the starting lineup. Therefore, the coaching staff must still make final decisions by integrating data, player feedback, and match conditions.

Real Madrid's recent handling of Federico Valverde in the match against Rayo Vallecano exemplifies this philosophy. Valverde experienced minor physical discomfort in the first half and was substituted in the second half. With Real Madrid leading 3-0, Mourinho decided not to risk this key player further.

Mourinho explained after the match: "If the score were 0-0, he would continue playing. We would push the risk to the limit, but it was 3-0, so we chose to protect the player."

Valverde had no serious injury at that time, but his body showed warning signs. Real Madrid's current approach is to act as early as possible before actual injury occurs, rather than addressing problems after they develop.

This is also Carrizo's core value within Mourinho's coaching staff. He doesn't decide the starting lineup or provide medical diagnoses, but he provides Mourinho with the data and information needed to assess player physical condition. From the start of training through the end of the match, continuous monitoring of player physical load occurs.

Mourinho wants Real Madrid's new physical management system to focus more on science, prevention, and load management, and Carrizo is the key specialist he personally selected for this purpose.

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