Ramon Calderon Talks Jose Mourinho Rumours, Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid, More

Former Real Madrid President Ramon Calderon is convinced Jose Mourinho will return to the Santiago Bernabeu if he doesn't become the new Manchester United manager, and he believes the future of star forward Cristiano Ronaldo will depend on current president Florentino Perez.  

Per Moises Llorens of AS, Calderon answered a series of questions on Thursday while attending a public event for veteran players from Real and Barcelona. When asked what would happen if the squad finished the season without a trophy, he stated his belief that Mourinho would return, and it would be to the detriment of the club [sic]:

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If Mourinho doesn't sign for Manchester United, he will be Real Madrid's next coach. I am completely sure of that. If the team doesn't win anything, sadly, we'll be seeing Mourinho on the bench again. That's my feeling. He returns then we'll be back to the war games, fire-starting, uncomfortable press conference, FIFA, UEFA, UNICEF… That wasn't the best time for the club. Now, without him, there's a lot more peace. 

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He added Perez is “going nuts” for Mourinho's return and called current manager Zinedine Zidane a “Segunda B coach.”

Los Blancos face the prospect of finishing the 2015-16 campaign without a trophy, as they're no longer active in the Copa del Rey, and they are unlikely to catch up with Barcelona in the Spanish title race. Last year, their rivals from Catalonia also walked away with all of the silverware.

Francisco Seco/Associated Press

The 2015-16 season has been filled with turmoil, leading to the sacking of former manager Rafa Benitez just months into his tenure. Under Zidane, things have calmed down, but while the club is still active in the UEFA Champions League, there's a realistic chance Zidane finishes his first season in charge of the club empty-handed.

Mourinho managed Real between 2010 and 2013 and found limited success in the Spanish capital, winning just one La Liga title and one Copa del Rey trophy. As alluded to by Calderon, his time in Spain was filled with controversy, mental warfare with the Blaugrana and constant bickering in the press.

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Per BBC's Del Crookes, an incident where he appeared to poke Barcelona's then-assistant manager Tito Vilanova in the eye was the worst of the controversies.

Mourinho has been constantly linked with Manchester United since he was let go by Chelsea, however, and most pundits believe he will end up replacing current manager Louis van Gaal, including Sky Sports' Guillem Balague:

Zidane is a Real Madrid legend, and his appointment returned some much needed positivity to the Bernabeu. Even if Real finish the season without any trophies, he appears unlikely to be sacked at this point.

But you never know with Perez, who took the brunt of Calderon's criticism. When discussing Ronaldo's future, Calderon mocked Perez's tendency to invest big money in new players every season, likening it to someone collecting stickers:

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His continuity depends on the president's football sticker-collecting habits. He likes expensive football stickers, paid for with money which is not his own. He's got the album but he doesn't know where to put the stickers, but in the last 10 league campaigns, there's only one 'x' on his file [only one La Liga title]. That's a problem and means that none of us knows what's going to happen next.

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The Portugal international was linked with a move to Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain earlier this season, with some, including the Sun's Antony Kastrinakis, even claiming Ronaldo had already told Les Parisiens he would move during the summer.

Francisco Seco/Associated Press

Those rumours have died down a little in the last few months, likely a result of Zidane's appointment, and Real's impending transfer embargo will only complicate matters, per Ed Malyon of the Daily Mirror.

Los Blancos's embargo is expected to come into play after the summer transfer window, thanks to appeals, and that will likely lead to plenty of activity at the end of this season. But the team will be looking to buy, not sell―continuity will be the key to surviving a full season in which no further additions to the squad can be made.

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