Real Madrid manager José Mourinho has urged supporters of tennis legend Rafael Nadal to remain loyal to him despite his proposed appointment to the Spanish club’s board of directors.
Mourinho expressed delight at the development while speaking after Real Madrid’s dramatic 3-2 Champions League victory over AEK Athens on Wednesday night.
Reacting to the news, the Portuguese tactician praised both Nadal and the club, describing the proposed appointment as a positive development.
“Rafa Nadal and Real Madrid? Chapeau. It’s fantastic news. Congratulations to the club and to Rafa,” Mourinho said, according to football transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, who shared the comments on X on Thursday.
He added: “What I will say is that I hope the fans who support him do not stop supporting him just because he is now a Real Madrid member!”
Nadal, a lifelong Real Madrid supporter and long-standing honorary member of the club, has been proposed for a position on the board, subject to ratification at the General Assembly scheduled for November 21.
Mourinho described the development as a source of pride for Real Madrid, while making a light-hearted appeal to the tennis icon’s supporters to continue backing him.
The former world number one has maintained a strong association with the Spanish giants over the years, with his proposed appointment further strengthening his relationship with the club.
Meanwhile, Mourinho also discussed his squad options, admitting that the quality and depth available to him sometimes make team selection difficult.
The Portuguese manager singled out Brazilian youngster Endrick, praising his ability to cause problems for opposition defenders when introduced late in matches.
Reflecting on the number of quality players at his disposal, Mourinho said: “It makes me angry how many great players I have that I can’t play or start every game.”
He particularly highlighted the advantage of introducing Endrick against opponents whose defenders are already fatigued, describing the prospect of facing the young forward in such circumstances as “a real tragedy” for them.
Mourinho stressed that having several top-quality players was an advantage, provided they remained committed to the collective objectives of the team.
Madrid, City and Arsenal win as Liverpool stumble
Mourinho’s comments came after an eventful Champions League night in which Real Madrid, Manchester City and Arsenal secured important victories, while Liverpool suffered their first defeat of the campaign.
Real Madrid needed a stoppage-time winner from Federico Valverde to overcome AEK Athens 3-2 in Greece, maintaining their impressive start to the league phase.
The Spanish side initially struggled against their hosts, who took the lead through Aboubakary Koita in the 12th minute.
Jude Bellingham restored parity for Madrid in the 32nd minute, but AEK continued to threaten and found another goal in the second half through Stavros Pilios.
Kylian Mbappé brought Madrid level again in the 78th minute before Valverde struck in stoppage time to secure all three points for the visitors.
In Istanbul, Liverpool suffered a damaging 3-2 defeat to Fenerbahçe after surrendering the lead twice.
Teenage midfielder Trey Nyoni gave Liverpool the advantage in the 25th minute, but Mason Greenwood equalised four minutes later.
Alexander Isak restored the visitors’ lead in the 69th minute following an assist from Cody Gakpo. However, Archie Brown levelled matters four minutes later before Vedat Muriqi completed Fenerbahçe’s comeback with the winning goal in the 79th minute.
Manchester City also had to work hard for their points, edging RB Leipzig 3-2 in Germany.
City went ahead through a Castello Lukeba own goal in the 37th minute, but Ridle Baku equalised shortly after the restart.
Enzo Fernández restored City's advantage in the 58th minute before Antonio Nusa brought Leipzig level again three minutes later.
Erling Haaland eventually settled the contest in the 78th minute, finishing a move created by Elliot Anderson to hand Pep Guardiola's side a valuable away victory.
Arsenal continued their strong European run with a 2-1 win over Slavia Prague.
Noni Madueke opened the scoring in the ninth minute before Viktor Gyökeres doubled the Gunners' advantage in the 38th minute.
Slavia Prague scored a late consolation through Wiktor Nowak, but Arsenal held on to claim maximum points.
The biggest result of the night came in France, where Como demolished Lens 9-1 in an extraordinary display of attacking football.
Anastasios Douvikas was the standout performer, scoring a hat-trick in the seventh, 32nd and 57th minutes.
Nico Paz, Lucas Da Cunha, Marc-Oliver Kempf, Mattia Liberali, Martin Baturina and Papaccioli also scored as Como produced one of the most emphatic victories in the competition's history.
Aguilar scored Lens' only goal in the 65th minute, but it did little to prevent the French side from suffering a humiliating defeat.
The nine-goal margin equalled the Champions League's record winning margin.
Elsewhere, FC Porto defeated Napoli 4-1 at the Estádio do Dragão.
Jan Bednarek opened the scoring for Porto in the 11th minute before Scott McTominay equalised for Napoli shortly before half-time.
Porto responded strongly after the interval, with Veiga, Jakub Kiwior and Samu Aghehowa, from the penalty spot, completing the emphatic victory.
In the Netherlands, Club Brugge secured a 2-1 away victory over PSV Eindhoven.
Nicolò Tresoldi gave the Belgian side the lead in the 25th minute, while Romeo Forbs added another in the 66th minute. Sano scored for PSV in the 54th minute.
Borussia Dortmund also recorded a 2-1 victory over Real Betis, with Konstantinos Karetsas delivering the decisive contribution for the German side after Fabio Silva had given the visitors an early second-half lead.
In another encounter, Viking defeated Sabah 4-1, with Bodo Botheim scoring twice, while Zlatko Tripić and Falchener also found the net for the Norwegian side. Mbina scored Sabah's consolation goal.
The results highlighted the unpredictability of the Champions League league phase, with established European contenders strengthening their positions, Liverpool suffering a setback and Como emerging as the biggest talking point following their extraordinary victory over Lens.
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