Revisiting Jose Mourinho’s reign as Real Madrid manager
By Sahel Kazi
Mourinho’s infamous 3rd season syndrome, 2012-13
The 2012/13 campaign was when it all started to go downhill for Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid. The Supercopa de Espana trophy came early on in the season but was overshadowed by some poor showings.
Los Blancos were far from the unstoppable force of the 2011-12 campaign. This came at a time when the likes of Angel Di Maria, Kaka and Gonzalo Higuain were struggling with injuries and so, the squad inevitably seemed to lack depth. That was far from the biggest problem though, as rumours continued to swirl around that Mourinho had fallen out with several of the team’s high profile stars including Cristiano Ronaldo.
Perhaps the most famous of them all was the dropping of captain Iker Casillas, who was replaced in the starting XI by January signing Diego Lopez. The long-time club captain seemed to have the backing of several senior players though.
Real Madrid were once again eliminated at the semi-final stage of the Champions League, this time at the hands of Borussia Dortmund, with a young Polish striker named Robert Lewandowski scoring four past them in the first leg.
Alas, La Decima remained an unfulfilled dream for Real Madrid fans for another season. Mourinho was shown the exit door a day shy of his three year anniversary at the club.
Mourinho’s biggest contribution that season was the signing of Luka Modric from Tottenham Hotspur. The Croatian went on to become one of the club’s most celebrated players ever and has won five Champions League titles with Los Blancos till now.