The Story Of Jose Mourinho's First Spell at Real Madrid

I arrived in Real Madrid after 10 years of being a manager in top clubs, in top countries. And after my great experience in England and in Italy, it was the kind of challenge and the kind of club that I dream with, yes. The first thing to be said is that it gave him a chance to have a go at Barcelona, to borrow a phrase, to knock them off their perch. They have gone for this Galactico thing. It seems to be an important part of how they view their club. I don't think that sits well with Jose. I think he prefers his own work ethic to be the shining light of the club. The objective is not to coach Real Madrid. The objective is to win with Real Madrid. I want my players to think the objective is not to play for Real Madrid. The objective is to win. Mourinho's first El Clasico brought a 5-0 humiliation, his worst defeat as a manager. Barcelona were heading for another Spanish title and another Champions League, unless Mourinho could inspire another semi-final upset. The mind games had never worked so well. It's the first time I say Pep, then I say Jose. But on the pitch, the meltdown belonged to Real Madrid. He lost it. He sent it off. Completely. It's been sent off as a result of his conversation with the German officials. To play in your own half when you're Real Madrid is crazy. Here's Messi. Away from two, three, four. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. And then he comes out and compounds it by making possibly his most ludicrous allegation of all time. It's that there's a conspiracy between Barcelona and UEFA to make Barcelona win the Champions League every year. Real Madrid has always been this club that has been a gentleman. It's been always seen as the example club in Spain and also in Europe. And he kind of disagreed with this behaviour. He thought he was the one making the rules. And a lot of supporters didn't like that. When you live on the edge like Jose does, at times he does live on the edge. And sometimes you go too far over the line. I don't think I bother Jose that. I don't think I bother him. The thing is, he's in the result industry. He knows that. It's results that count. In April 2012, a Mourinho team won at the Nou Camp for the first time. Real had outclassed their rivals, breaking records for points, goals and away wins. Jose Mourinho became the first manager in history to win league titles in England, Italy and Spain. What's your biggest strength? I think it's love for family. That's the engine of everything. Everything I do is for them. After that, I'm Catholic. I believe in him. I try to be a good man so he can have a little bit of time to give me a hand when I need it. When you hear him talking like that, you realise that this is a man with a very complex brain. A man whose complexity makes him exciting. What about the way that the sprinklers came on at the end? Interesting. He's thinking very hard. He never relaxes during these interviews. His eyes are doing these lateral movements. His whole life somehow comes to a peak at these moments. It's Jose Mourinho the manager, as opposed to Jose Mourinho the person. And they are two different people. I never found him arrogant. He came in with a personality. And it was just a personality. I think he's very self-confident. He has a lot of self-belief. Nobody asked me my team. Do you want to know my team tomorrow? So why don't you ask me? What's your team tomorrow? It's too late. I'm sorry. The boasting of Mourinho, I'm the special one, is a kind of joke. It's not to be taken seriously. And anybody who does take it seriously is missing the point. Why do you think Chelsea have suffered so much since you left Stamford Bridge? Because I left Stamford Bridge. No, no, I'm joking. Is the man you share a glass of wine with after the game the same man as the one... No, no, no, no, no. There's definitely not. There's a difference when he comes into my office. He can take a joke against himself. That's what I like about him. I give him a lot of stick, you know. I give him plenty of stick. And he laughs it off. He's got a good personality for that kind of thing. If you ask my wife or my kids if I'm the bad guy or the good guy, they will say I'm the number one guy in the world. I agree, everything was very, very fast for me. But I can cope with that. I don't change because of that success. What keeps you awake at night? Nothing. I sleep perfect. This season, the mask of invincibility has slipped. Poor results and politics have soured life at Real Madrid, raising questions about Mourinho's longer-term impact at clubs. There will be no successful defence of the Spanish title. We played our best this season against Barcelona in the Super Cup. And we play our worst in matches. We have to win. What I felt in my team this season was a difference of ambition and commitment in relation to the last season. We reacted very, very well to the success of the last season. There is still the Champions League. Mourinho faces the club and the manager, against whom he made his first iconic impression on the European stage. Real Madrid's immediate future now revolves, more than ever, around winning that coveted 10th European crown. The next challenge for Jose Mourinho. Yes or no, is your career incomplete? If you don't win the Champions League for Real Madrid. My career is always incomplete. And nobody puts pressure on me because I put pressure on myself. There is no club bigger than Real Madrid. And European football matters so much to Jose Mourinho. He must, of course, win the Champions League with Real Madrid. In fact, if he doesn't, it'll be a black mark. A failure. Yes. Yes. If Jose continues the route that he's taking at this time, he will continue to win, he will continue to win in different countries, and he will continue to win the major competitions in the world. Yes or no, will you manage in England again? For sure. For sure. In my whole career, everything was perfect. The only thing I didn't, and I hope I can do it once, one day, is to win a Champions League for an English club. He says he will come back to England and manage. Can you imagine him one day managing at this club? He can manage anywhere. Absolutely. I'm not going to put any forecast on what's going to happen at this club. I'm going to last forever, that's for sure. But Jose can manage anywhere, there's no question about that. I'm proud of him. I really am. I see him with great pride. He's climbed up the steps of the ladder and he's on the top notch. Good luck to Jose. You've won 48 trophies, I'll just remind you. Is that all? Jose Mourinho has won 21 trophies, 7 titles, 2 Champions Leagues and 1 UEFA Cup in essentially the best part of a decade. In a decade, that's incredible. How old is he now? He's in his 50th year. So he's 20 years behind me. In that 20 years, in the same way he's going to add another 42 trophies. At the current rate? Somebody has to know that. If I stop now my career, I can say, oh yeah, in 10 years I did this, this, this and this. But I want to carry on. I don't want to stop. Mourinho will just get better and better and better. As long as his brain gives out and his ego remains under control, coaches get better and better. Ferguson is your perfect example. I don't think I'll manage until he's 70 away. He's told us that he wants to go on for another 15 years. 65? In that case he would have 50-odd trophies. He's a greedy bugger. I think he will be extremely driven to win the World Cup for his country. And when that happens, when statistically he's the best manager that has ever been, then I think he will finally leave the game. That's what he wants to be, remembered as the best ever coach. He's on track for that, isn't he? There's no doubt about that. The point is, give everything. And that's what I do in every club. That's what I do every day. And that's what I will do until the end of my career. And because the end of my career is very, very far, I hope God gives me strength and health. I'm not afraid to fail. I'm not afraid to lose. I want to be the best tomorrow. After tomorrow is another day. Never look back? Memories. Very nice memories.