Jose Mourinho is one of the greatest coaches of all time. Not many picture Real Madrid as being one of his iconic tenures, but Real Madrid fans soon learned that the Portuguese coach did the hard work so they could enjoy an easy post-Mourinho period.
Speaking to the media this week, Jose Mourinho reminded the world that he did a great job at Real Madrid, even if he coached during one of the club's toughest periods. Before he arrived, Real Madrid was full of egos, and when he left, the club was full of individuals who rowed in the same direction: striving for Real Madrid's greatness.
In his own words, Jose Mourinho said "I gave everything I had to Real Madrid. I did good things and bad things, but I gave it my all. The President (Florentino Perez) told me when I left that I was leaving just when the good times were coming, the easy times, that I had already done the hard work."
Jose Mourinho forced Real Madrid fans into an easy realization
Real Madrid made this realization the easy way. Key figureheads in the post-Mourinho era, such as Zinedine Zidane and Carlo Ancelotti, are given the rightful respect they deserve for gearing Real Madrid towards success. However, that road to success would have been bumpier had it not been for Jose laying the groundwork during his tenure.
Jose has always been a coach who says things as they are. He isn't afraid to clash with individuals if it leads to the betterment of the club.
In many ways, Jose Mourinho is one of the best hires Florentino Perez ever made. It was as strategic as it was commercial, but the subjective nature of his hire must not go overlooked. Perez could see an ego civil war brewing at Real Madrid, and Jose, the biggest ego in the game, came in and evened the playing field at the club.
Some would even argue that Jose Mourinho is the man that Real Madrid needs now, perhaps more than they needed him before. Heck, he's proven he still has what it takes to compete at the top level, recently wounding Real Madrid in the Champions League.
However, Jose Mourinho refuses to comment on that. He has a lot of respect for Real Madrid as a club, and he doesn't want to fuel rumors which may harm those at the club already.
Jose Mourinho wasn't necessarily liked at the time, but he was as forward-thinking as anyone. Real Madrid was successful because of Jose, not despite him.