Revisiting Jose Mourinho’s reign as Real Madrid manager

A bitter end and mixed feelings

By the end of it all, Madridistas were left to look back and evaluate a very polarizing period in the club’s history. Jose Mourinho’s charisma left an irrefutable impression on the club and on the players.

It made them fight each minute that they were on the pitch and the feeling of ending Barcelona’s dominance in that 2011-12 season is something one can never take away.

As reported by GOAL, former Real Madrid star, Esteban Granero, said about Mourinho:

"“We were like the underdog. But being Real Madrid and being the underdog is difficult to handle. He made us believe that we weren’t underdogs. We were able to fight against them and beat them. He not only told us that it was possible, he made it possible. “In the first year, we won the Copa del Rey against them and, in the second year, we won the league. We made the semi-finals of the Champions League but lost on penalties to Bayern Munich. It was the best achievement in my football career, and it was because of him.”"

Yet, all of that momentum amounted to relatively little as Real Madrid only lifted three domestic trophies during Mourinho’s time in charge of the club. Continental success was to come but was limited to just the three semi-final appearances in the Champions League.

The argument that Real Madrid were up against a very strong Barcelona side, possibly the best in history, makes equal sense. Even during that bitter 2012/13 season, Los Blancos garnered 85 points. They won the league with 86 points in the 2021/22 campaign.

Perhaps Mourinho was just the right man to bring in when Barcelona’s quest for dominance had just begun, to polish a team of assembled superstars before departing as the effects of their rival’s dominance faded.

Regardless, The Special One’s time at Real Madrid will always be looked back at for the breath-taking counter-attacks, for the heat of the El Clasicos, for the blockbuster press conferences and the antics on the touchline. There’s only one Mourinho, and there will always be just one.