Back in 2010, Jose Mourinho landed the biggest job of his career.
Having dominated Portugal and the Premier League with Porto and Chelsea, before then proceeding to win a historic treble with Inter Milan, the Portuguese coach was handed the keys to Florentino Perez’s Real Madrid kingdom.
It was the perfect fit at the perfect time. Real needed stardust, having started to fall behind Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona. Despite boasting A-listers such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Mesut Ozil and Angel Di Maria, it was their Catalan counterparts who had become Europe, and LaLiga’s, most-dominant force.
There were, of course, concerns over Mourinho’s defensive style of play. And there were also question marks as how he’d be able to cope with Real’s egotistical dressing room. At Chelsea and Inter, he’d made players superstars. At Real, they already possessed that lofty tag.
His first season was a tough one. Barcelona won the Champions League and LaLiga, with Real forced to settle for the Copa del Rey. A stunning header from Ronaldo saw off Guardiola’s men in the final and the first trophy of his reign arrived.
In his second season, at least domestically, he was able to knock Barcelona off their perch.
Real won LaLiga, scoring a record 121 goals from 38 matches. They were absolutely sensational that season, with Ronaldo scaling new heights as a player while Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain played supporting roles. Their dreams of Champions League success were agonisingly ended by Bayern Munich, however, who made the final after winning a tense penalty shootout.
Jose Mourinho clashed with players such as Iker Casillas during his time at Real Madrid
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In his third year, however, things unravelled. As they often do.
Real ended that campaign without a trophy, with Barcelona amassing 100 points as they secured glory in the league. Another German club, this time Borussia Dortmund, dashed their hopes of success on the European stage.
If you don’t win at Real, even for a season, you tend to be shown the door. Despite Perez and Mourinho having a close relationship, the Portuguese proved to be no exception.
Jose Mourinho gouged the eye of Tito Vilanova during one match between Real Madrid and Barcelona
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But Mourinho, ever since his three years in sunny Spain, has never been the same.
His time at Real is known for the fights, both on the pitch and in the dressing room. He has been permanently scarred from that experience and his managerial reputation, in the 13 years since, has taken a substantial hit. A Premier League title at Chelsea and a couple of cups at Manchester United aside, he has never achieved the success of old.
The rivalry with Barcelona brought out the worst in Mourinho. He prepared his players for war and they often came out all guns blazing. Red cards were common, with Sergio Ramos and Pepe among the figures who would often lose their heads.
At one point, Mourinho even poked the eye of Barcelona’s Tito Vilanova, who was a member of their coaching staff at the time. Rather than backing down, the Portuguese merely snarled and seemed to relish the chaos around him as players on both sides brawled with each other.
But it was the battles inside Real that really left their mark on him.
Mourinho inherited Ramos and Iker Casillas, who were both key players and adored by fans. Yet his relationship with both men soured within just two years of his time in the dugout and, ultimately, things never recovered.
Jose Mourinho will be hoping to steer Benfica past Real Madrid in the Champions League
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A power struggle between Mourinho and Casillas dominated Spanish media at that time. Mourinho allegedly believed his goalkeeper was leaking team information, while they were also at loggerheads over team discipline.
Casillas, the story goes, attempted to patch things up with Barcelona’s players amid fears of the impact their scraps were having on the Spanish national team. Mourinho viewed this as an act of disloyalty and later replaced the No 1 with Antonio Adan and Diego Lopez.
Mourinho also had problems with Ramos and how he managed his injuries. And Ronaldo, of course.
The Portuguese coach once even apparently made Ronaldo cry due to his brutal comments, in front of his teammates. Their relationship has improved in the years since but, at the time, it was obvious they weren’t on the same page.
This Tuesday, Benfica host Real in the first leg of their Champions League play-off match. Mourinho has struggled since returning to his homeland but, having won their previous contest earlier in the season, will be dreaming of springing another surprise.
Should Benfica manage to overcome Real, then Mourinho will have the last laugh. It would be his ultimate revenge and another intriguing chapter in a career that has been full of brilliance and battles in equal measure.
