Mourinho accuses Deschamps of rushing Tchouaméni back for World Cup semi-final

José Mourinho has openly criticized Didier Deschamps’ decision to start Aurélien Tchouaméni in the 2026 World Cup semi-final between France and Spain (0-2) on July 14. The Portuguese manager spoke at a press conference ahead of Real Madrid’s match against Real Sociedad in La Liga.

“He suffered greatly during the World Cup. But that’s normal, you suffer during a World Cup. When you have to play even though you’re injured and it’s the end of the season and you know you’ll have a month off afterwards, you take risks. That’s what he did. He didn’t play one match (the quarter-final against Morocco) and then he played in the semi-final,” Mourinho said. For him, regardless of who made the decision, Tchouaméni simply should not have played that match.

That July 14 match remains to this day the midfielder’s last competitive appearance. Since returning from vacation, Tchouaméni has not participated in any Real Madrid pre-season matches. He had trained with the group just before the victory at RCD Espanyol (1-2) on the opening day of La Liga, but his manager deemed him not quite ready to play.

“The problem is that he wasn’t sufficiently recovered when he returned from vacation,” Mourinho clarified. “You can’t start a season in August without being at 100%. That’s why we decided with him, the staff and the entire medical team, that he would only return once at 100%.” On the timeline for his return, the Portuguese manager remained vague: “A week or two more.”

The former Bordeaux player had given his approval to play the semi-final, assuring Deschamps that he felt ready. What followed proved otherwise, and it is now Real Madrid that is bearing the consequences at the start of the season.