Mourinho returns to Camp Nou as Real Madrid prepare for Sunday’s clásico
José Mourinho returns to the Camp Nou on Sunday night to lead Real Madrid in the clásico against Barcelona, having been in charge of Madrid for about three months and saying he is older and calmer since his appointment.
Mourinho first arrived at the Camp Nou 30 years ago as Bobby Robson’s translator and last visited as a manager in 2013; he once declared “today, tomorrow and always, Barcelona in my heart” and has previously said he would only ever go to Real Madrid to destroy them, a task he now faces again.
Madrid’s recent European record since Mourinho was last at Barcelona is highlighted in the article: after finally securing the elusive decima, the 10th Champions League title which had evaded them for 12 years, Real then added the 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th in a 10-year span, a sequence that unfolded without Barcelona.
The rivalry’s personal and institutional history is detailed: Mourinho’s appointment at Madrid coincided with his Champions League win with Inter in 2010 and followed a semi-final in which he sprinted across the Camp Nou pitch celebrating with a finger raised; Florentino Pérez once said “This year’s galáctico is José Mourinho,” and Mourinho later described his time there as “three intense, almost violent years.”
Recent domestic context is outlined: Madrid have gone two years without a trophy; in the first of those seasons Barcelona won the league with two weeks to spare to complete a domestic treble and beat Madrid four times, scoring 16 goals, while last season Barcelona clinched the title with a clásico victory three weeks before the end of the campaign.
Form and personnel issues are set out ahead of the match: Barcelona reached 11 wins from 11, averaging more than four goals a game, while Madrid produced a dramatic 4-3 comeback from 3-1 down at Roma in which Arda Güler, Yan Diomande and Fede Valverde featured and Vinícius Júnior did not play; Madrid then scored four goals against Sevilla and four against Leipzig, Diomande hitting a volley, but Vinícius was later suspended for four games and is ruled out of the clásico after being sent off when a goal was ruled out against Villarreal.
Tactical and disciplinary notes appear from both camps: Hansi Flick admitted he prioritised the clásico over PSG, leaving out Rodri and withdrawing Pedri and Raphinha early while warning that 15 goals conceded is too many, and Mourinho has complained about Madrid having a day less rest ahead of the match; Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal said “I love the needle,” adding “The Mourinho-Guardiola era, I loved all that. That’s football. Sport is serious but I want a show and we have more fun.”
Mourinho has described his brief spell at Madrid as a period of getting to know the squad, saying “I had to get to know them,” and “I’ve only been here 105 days; it’s not long,” as his team prepares to try to narrow the gap in the table when they visit the Camp Nou on Sunday night, with Vinícius unavailable for selection.