Where Are Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid 2011-12 Title Winners Now?
Jose Mourinho’s return to Real Madrid this summer stirred memories of his remarkable 2011–12 season when he led Los Blancos to a La Liga title with an astounding 100 points and 121 goals. That campaign remains one of the finest in Spanish football history, achieved by outshining Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona.
More than a decade later, we look back at where the key players from that championship team have landed.
Goalkeeper: Iker Casillas
Iker Casillas played 37 matches that season, keeping 14 clean sheets. He left the club in 2015 as the second-most capped player but had a well-publicized fallout with Mourinho during the latter’s last year. Since retiring, Casillas has become a pundit and ambassador, though he openly expressed on X that he did not want Mourinho back at Madrid. Casillas was once considered for a senior role under a presidential candidate before Florentino Pérez’s reelection.
Right Back: Álvaro Arbeloa
With 26 appearances and no goals that season, Álvaro Arbeloa stayed at Madrid until 2016 before finishing his playing career at West Ham. Transitioning into management, he climbed through Real Madrid’s youth ranks and even managed the B team. Despite his steady reputation, his time as first-team manager was turbulent, marked by internal conflicts. Arbeloa is set to manage Premier League side Fulham next season.
Center Back: Sergio Ramos
Sergio Ramos, a towering figure in Spanish football, made 34 appearances and scored 3 goals that season. The 2011-12 title was his third of five with Real Madrid. He later helped secure four Champions League trophies. After spells at Paris Saint-Germain, Sevilla, and Monterrey, the 40-year-old has hinted at retirement but is eyeing a future off the pitch. He recently attempted to invest in Sevilla, though the deal fell through.
Center Back: Pepe
Pepe appeared 29 times and scored once in the title-winning campaign. He remained with Madrid for five more years before moving to Besiktas in 2017, then revived his form at Porto until age 41. Earlier this year, he featured for Real Madrid in a Legends Cup match against Barcelona in Miami.
Left Back: Marcelo
Marcelo played 32 games and scored 3 goals in that title run. His Real Madrid success extended well beyond Mourinho’s tenure, adding three more league titles and five Champions League wins, finishing with 25 trophies overall. He left Madrid in 2022, had stints at Olympiacos and Fluminense, and retired in 2024. His son, Enzo Alves, now plays forward in Real Madrid’s academy.
Central Midfield: Sami Khedira
Khedira featured in 28 matches with 2 goals that season but saw reduced influence after Modrić and Kroos arrived. He left for Juventus in 2015, later becoming a commentator after retiring in 2021. This season, Khedira returned to Madrid as part of Mourinho’s coaching staff.
Central Midfield: Xabi Alonso
Xabi Alonso played 36 games, scoring once. He contributed to Madrid’s 2014 Champions League win before moving to Bayern Munich. As a coach, Alonso achieved a Bundesliga-winning season with Bayer Leverkusen in 2023–24. His stint as Real Madrid manager in 2025 was brief and controversial, ending amid disputes with Vinícius Júnior. He is now Chelsea’s manager.
Right Wing: Ángel Di María
Di María made 32 appearances and scored 7 goals in the title season. He left Madrid in 2014, winning acclaim at Paris Saint-Germain as their top assist provider. Until recently, he played at Benfica and now, at age 38, has returned to his boyhood club Rosario Central in Argentina.
Attacking Midfield: Mesut Özil
Mesut Özil appeared 35 times and netted 4 goals, ranking second only to Lionel Messi in assists that season. His relationship with Mourinho was strained; Özil later revealed harsh locker room exchanges. He moved to Arsenal in 2013 for a club-record fee and won three FA Cups. Videos showing his post-retirement transformation have recently gained attention.
Left Wing: Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo scored an astonishing 46 league goals in 38 appearances that season, totaling 60 across all competitions. Four of his five Ballon d’Or awards followed that year. Now 41, he still scores for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia. His 2026 World Cup performance was underwhelming, but Portugal’s new coach has left the door open for him to continue internationally.
Striker: Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema featured 34 times, scoring 21 goals. He shared striking duties with Gonzalo Higuaín during that season but truly blossomed after Ronaldo’s departure, culminating in a 2022 Ballon d’Or. Benzema ranks second only to Ronaldo in Real Madrid’s all-time scoring charts. Like Ronaldo, he currently plays in Saudi Arabia, contracted to Al Hilal.
