Real Madrid relies on fitness expert Antonio Pintus to improve season performance.

Considering the level of disorganized mediocrity displayed by Real Madrid on Sunday, narrowly defeating nine-man Rayo Vallecano 2-1 in LaLiga, coach Álvaro Arbeloa added a humorous touch by reminding his critical post-match audience: “Look, I’m not Gandalf the Wizard!”

Perhaps Arbeloa referenced “Lord of the Rings” because he is aware that in the upcoming weeks, he will place his squad under the supervision of a man many perceive to be as relentless as any dark character from J.R.R. Tolkien’s works.

Antonio Pintus is small in stature, friendly, aged, and rugged. He is widely recognized as one of football’s most infamous, accomplished, and occasionally contentious fitness coaches, yet also one of the sport’s most respected and intriguing figures. Observing his interactions with players on match days or during travel, one might easily conclude: “My goodness, they really admire him!” However, it is certain that there will be instances in the near future when Madrid’s players will curse his name, plead for relief, and glare resentfully at the 63-year-old Italian.

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His return as head of Real Madrid’s physical conditioning marked the tipping point for former head coach Xabi Alonso’s tenure. Among the various challenges Alonso faced in his relationships with the squad and his superiors—most notably, club president Florentino Pérez—it was the 44-year-old’s refusal to dismiss his fitness coach (Ismael Camenforte-López) and reinstate Pintus last month that led to his immediate dismissal.

Arbeloa was promoted from the academy, and Pintus advanced alongside him; not only because he has been the (literal) force behind 30 trophy victories throughout his career at Juventus, Inter Milan, Chelsea, AS Monaco, and others, but also because he served as the team’s physical coach when Madrid secured four of their last five UEFA Champions League titles.

On the surface, it is easy to see why Pérez was adamant about having his iconic fitness expert back in charge of first-team affairs, right? However, this is, in stark contrast, the most challenging, volatile, and high-stakes role Pintus has ever undertaken.

The first time I encountered him and observed his methods closely was in late 1995 and early 1996. I was a guest of Juventus and, over two visits spanning five days, I was permitted to watch training, interview the legendary manager Marcello Lippi, converse with the fitness staff (led by Pintus’ then-supervisor Gian Piero Ventrone), examine their fitness regimen, and gather insights from their team leader and captain, Gianluca Vialli.

It was midseason, yet Ventrone and Pintus had been in charge for years, and the fitness program appeared remarkable. Double sessions on most non-match days, additional hours in the gym, extensive running. I was an observer, not an investigator, and what I witnessed was the tremendous effort dedicated to being stronger, more intense, and sharper than any competitor. By May that season, they had clinched the Champions League.

Whenever you speak to any player who has undergone the demanding regime, they describe it as brutally challenging—often feeling the urge to stop, to vomit, to plead for mercy, and to resent his “extreme” intensity. However, they typically balance that resentment and anger with an acknowledgment that exceptional physical conditioning and, consequently, trophies follow. In this case, at Madrid’s Valdebebas training complex 30 years later, during a cold, grimy, and wet winter in Spain’s capital, Pintus now has to generate intensity, durability, sharpness, and optimal conditioning against the backdrop of most of this squad having had disappointingly brief preseasons since August 2024.

Excessive football, extensive travel, significant pressure, insufficient sleep, inadequate recovery, and a peculiar playing surface at the Bernabéu where players frequently slip—these are all issues that Pintus must consider. He is attempting to push Arbeloa’s injury-prone squad to limits that will strain their legs and lungs in the short term, but all involved will hope it yields increased power, confidence, consistency, and intensity as the weeks progress toward crucial fixtures like the Champions League playoff against Benfica, subsequent rounds if they advance, the Madrid Derbi, and a pivotal Clásico. You understand the situation.

The opportunity for this “mini-preseason” arises solely because Madrid was embarrassingly ousted from the Copa del Rey by second-tier Albacete in Arbeloa’s first match in charge. This was deemed by both media and fans to be a disgraceful and poorly managed experience.

However, even in the two weeks since, Arbeloa can discuss it in the following terms: “Obviously, as I’ve been saying here for many days, we have a lot of things to develop; it’s time to improve. During these weeks without a midweek match, we’ll try to get the team working and moving in the direction we want … You need to work, you need hours on the training pitch, and that, fortunately, is what we’re going to have these next two weeks.”

He used the word “fortunately,” and I highlight it because that is not a term he could have dared to use in the aftermath of a defeat to a second-division team as another piece of silverware slipped away. Now, and I concur with Arbeloa here, he can afford to frame it as a stroke of good fortune, a favorable occurrence.

Enter Pintus. The first point to mention is that with Vinícius Júnior suspended for the always-turbulent visit to Valencia’s Mestalla, you can be certain that the Italian will be unleashed on him.

One of the certainties is that if a squad opts for a dramatic midseason enhancement in power, intensity, resilience, and athletic sharpness, there will initially be fatigue before the efforts yield results. Because Vinícius’ next competitive appearance in the famous white strip will be on Valentine’s Day at home against Real Sociedad, he will be worked. Intensively. And, knowing the Brazil international, he will be fully prepared for that. Anticipate the Pintus-Vinícius outcomes when that enticing rematch with José Mourinho’s Benfica arrives in the latter half of the month.

This upcoming fortnight presents a brief glimpse of an opportunity for Los Blancos. Pintus must deliver the performance of his career and, if successful, build upon it in the months to come.

There exists an iconic image of what can be accomplished. It was captured four years ago in the Bernabéu dressing room when Madrid had just scored twice in second-half stoppage time, then netted the winner in extra time to eliminate Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City from a semifinal tie that, for all intents and purposes, seemed lost. Down, out, and trailing by three goals as the clock struck 90 minutes in the second leg, yet victorious and advancing to win the final in Paris because the players possessed more reserves and intensity, in extremis, than City did.

That night, Luka Modric embraced the Italian and exclaimed, “We’ve reached the summit, this is the Pintus method!” When given the opportunity to clarify the legendary Croatia captain’s words to Spanish media, the Italian remarked: “I’m not sure if there’s a ‘Pintus method’—I don’t cut and paste. Coaching Inter or Chelsea or Madrid is different. You have to adapt, which is also a matter of intuition.

“You talk to the players, look them in the eyes, and see how far we can go beyond the thresholds. The most beautiful aspect of football is the training and the relationship with the players, the athletes. That’s what I enjoy the most. And pushing the players to the limit … not always, but sometimes because it’s important. I know that they might dislike me, but it’s crucial they understand that we do it for them. Then, at times, they make you happy because they say, ‘¡Madre Mia! Look what we’ve achieved because we worked so well and so hard!'”