The post, which has accumulated over 25,000 reactions, compares Cristiano Ronaldo's statistics before and after Mourinho's three-year spell at the Bernabéu between 2010 and 2013, and then applies the same analysis to Mbappé's numbers — the implication being that Mourinho's management could produce a similar effect for the Frenchman. Mbappé's like drew immediate attention on social media among a fanbase already on edge following a season heading towards no silverware.
Mourinho is currently managing Benfica and his agent Jorge Mendes has informed Real Madrid of his release clause, with the Portuguese understood to be open to a return.
No formal contact has been made from the club's side, and there is no full consensus within the Bernabéu hierarchy over his candidacy.
A number of other names — including Mauricio Pochettino, Didier Deschamps and Jürgen Klopp — have also been floated in recent days.
Whether Mbappé's social media activity reflects genuine enthusiasm for a Mourinho reunion, or was simply a passing moment of engagement, is impossible to determine — but in a week of intense speculation over Real Madrid's coaching future, it has not gone unnoticed.