Thirteen years on from his unceremonious exit from the Bernabeu, Jose Mourinho is set for a shock return to Real Madrid. President Florentino Perez outlined the Special One as his top choice to take over Los Blancos after a disastrous season, firstly under Xabi Alonso and now Alvaro Arbeloa.
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Many thought that the Portuguese manager’s time at the elite level of European football was over after his Roma tenure came to a bitter end, and his stint in charge of Fenerbahce didn’t fare much better. However, an unbeaten campaign in charge of Benfica – albeit a season that culminated in a third-place finish – has clearly done enough to persuade Perez that Mourinho still has plenty left to offer a big club. They don’t come much bigger than Real Madrid.
Perez’s Tried and Tested Blueprint
Mourinho may well have caught Perez’s eye when he led Benfica to a shock victory against Real Madrid in the Champions League earlier this season, a clash that online betting sites made the Portuguese side underdogs to win. Back in November, the popular Bovada soccer odds platform positioned the Eagles as a 7/2 shot to defeat Real in Lisbon. Not only would they win, but they would win by two clear goals after goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin’s shocking late goal secured a 4-2 win and propelled Benfica to the knockout stages.
Furthermore, Perez and Real have enjoyed success in reappointing their former managers. Many were questioning the decision to reappoint Carlo Ancelotti after the Italians less than impressive stint in charge of English outfit Everton. However, the veteran Italian boss would silence those doubters as he led Los Blancos to a pair of Champions League crowns as well as two La Liga titles, making his second tenure even more successful than the first.
If Mourinho is to enjoy a similarly successful run, he will first have to find a way to sort out a fractured dressing room that has seen the midfield duo of Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni come to blows in recent weeks. He will also have to find a way to end Barcelona’s reign of dominance in Spanish football, with the Blaugrana claiming the La Liga title in each of the last two seasons. But as you are about to find out, usurping the Catalonians is something that the Special One has done before.
So, what happened the last time Mourinho sat in the dugout at the Bernabeu? Let’s take a look.
Reality Check
Mourinho first took over in the Spanish capital in the summer of 2010 after leading Inter Milan to a famous treble, the first in the history of Italian football. The crowning jewel of that triumph was a Diego Milito-inspired 2-0 victory against Bayern Munich in the Champions League final in the Bernabeu. The Special One would never leave Madrid, remaining in the city and penning a deal to become Real Madrid’s new manager.
Perez appointed the former Chelsea boss with one job and one job only: dethrone Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona by any means necessary. The Blaugrana, much like today, had won each of the last two titles and were Spanish football’s dominant force. Mourinho, however, had just eliminated the Catalonians from the UEFA Champions League in the semifinals after a stellar defensive display in the Camp Nou, with ten men no less.
There were hopes that the outspoken manager would be able to directly translate that success to the Bernabeu, but both Mourinho and Real were in for a rude awakening barely four months into his reign. Los Blancos headed to the Camp Nou in November for the first El Clásico of the season, and immediately, it was clear that the visitors planned on bullying their way to a result. Real picked up a whopping eight yellow cards and one red in the contest, but in the end, the tactic backfired dramatically.
Mourinho’s men were thoroughly outclassed in the contest, succumbing to a 5-0 defeat after goals from Xavi, David Villa (two), Pedro, and Jeffren. There was still work to do.
The Breakthrough
Toward the back end of the campaign, Real and Barcelona played out four El Clásicos in the span of just 17 days. The first of them came in La Liga, with the two sides playing out a 1-1 draw, which practically handed the Blaugrana a third straight title. Guardiola’s side would come out on top in the Champions League semifinals as well, with a dazzling brace from Lionel Messi in a 2-0 victory in the Bernabeu, sealing their spot in the final.
However, sandwiched in that run of games came the Copa del Rey final, and it was here that Mourinho and Real found their breakthrough against the seemingly unstoppable Barca. The Special One finally found a way to neutralize the attacking brilliance of his side’s greatest rivals, grinding out a 0-0 draw before Cristiano Ronaldo popped up with a spectacular headed goal in extra time to secure the win. The triumph would set the groundwork for what was to come.
Ending Barcelona’s Reign
Heading into Mourinho’s second season in charge, he was determined to finally end Barcelona’s dominant reign as Spanish champions. The campaign wouldn’t get off to the best of starts, as Barca defeated Los Blancos in the Super Cup, while Levante would also hand them a bitter defeat in just the third game of the season. A goalless draw at Real Zaragoza the following week would set alarm bells ringing, but from there, the title challenge began to gather speed.
Real would go on an almighty run of 21 wins in their next 22 games, with the one defeat naturally coming at home to Barcelona. By the end of matchday 27, Mourinho’s side were a whopping 13 points clear of the reigning champions at the summit, and they were well on course to a dominant title victory.
A run of three draws across their next seven games meant that Barcelona had dragged themselves back into contention ahead of the second El Clásico of the season at the Camp Nou, and victory for the hosts would have cut the deficit down to just one point with four games to play. Instead, Ronaldo bagged a late winner, sealing Mourinho’s first league win over his greatest adversary.
Real would go on to win their next four games and secure their first title since 2008. Their totals of 100 points, 121 goals scored, and 32 wins overall were all La Liga records.
The End
Mourinho’s relentless attacks on both Guardiola and Barcelona in the press ultimately proved too much for Pep to handle as he walked away from his beloved Blaugrana at the end of the season, confirming to the world that Mourinho had succeeded in his task of ending Barca’s era of dominance. Within a year, however, the Special One would also be on his way, leaving Real Madrid at the end of the trophyless 2012/13 season. Now that he’s heading back, fans will be eagerly watching to see if he can repeat the tricks of his first stint and take Real back to being title-winners.
