Courtois on Mourinho: "I think that was exactly what we needed"

With Real Madrid enjoying a successful run under José Mourinho, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said the head coach known as "The Special One" has exactly the character the team had been looking for.

In the summer, after Xabi Alonso's departure, Mourinho took over from Álvaro Arbeloa, who had been appointed in January, and so began his second spell at the Madrid club following his first stint between 2010 and 2013.

Second in LaLiga, three points behind leaders Barcelona, whom they beat in El Clásico last month, the Madrid club have won every match they have played since the defeat by Atlético Madrid on 20 September. Courtois stressed that, after two seasons without a trophy, the experienced 63-year-old coach was a perfect choice.

Speaking at an event in Lisbon, the goalkeeper said: "It was really exciting to have him come back. He has an aura that changes the whole atmosphere when he walks into a room. The moment you step inside, you feel his presence straight away. I think that was exactly what we needed."

Courtois continued: "He says himself that he has matured now. With the experience the years have brought, he can sometimes stay a little calmer. From what I remember of the Chelsea days, he was a bit tougher and more intense in the dressing room. He still is, but I feel he is a touch calmer than he was 12 years ago. Even so, it is still the same character and the same strong stance."

Mourinho, who has reached a total of 97 LaLiga wins across his two spells in charge of Real Madrid, is very close to becoming the fourth head coach in the club's history to pass the 100-win mark in the league. With a 77 per cent win rate from the 126 LaLiga matches he has overseen at the club, the Portuguese coach has the highest win percentage of any coach to have taken charge of 100 or more matches in the league's history.

Turning to the team's form, Courtois concluded: "We had two defeats at the start of the season, but everything is going well right now. Hopefully we can keep this winning run going."