Mourinho renews Barcelona rivalry as Real Madrid return brings old tensions back

Barcelona host traditional rivals Real Madrid at Spotify Camp Nou on Sunday, with Jose Mourinho once again at the centre of a rivalry that has produced some of the most contentious moments in recent football history.

According to Mundo Deportivo, the Real Madrid manager has raised the intensity of his comments in the weeks leading up to the 10th round of La Liga, echoing the approach he adopted during his first spell at the club, which ended 13 years ago.

Mourinho won La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup during that period. Barcelona, however, claimed two La Liga titles, the Champions League, two Spanish Super Cups, the Copa del Rey, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup while the Portuguese was in charge of Real Madrid.

That era created more hostility than footballing progress between the clubs. Mourinho now returns in similar circumstances, with Real Madrid having gone two years without a trophy, while Hansi Flick’s Barcelona have won two La Liga titles, the Copa del Rey and two Spanish Super Cups.

In the build-up to the first Clasico of the season, Mourinho has already begun shaping a narrative in which he presents himself as the victim. Although his fiercest disputes with Barcelona came during his time at Real Madrid, the hostility began earlier, in knockout ties involving Chelsea and Inter Milan.

Early clashes with Chelsea and Inter

The first major confrontation came in the last 16 of the 2004-05 Champions League. Barcelona won the first leg 2-1 after recovering from a deficit, with Didier Drogba sent off after receiving two yellow cards.

At his news conference, Mourinho accused Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard of going to referee Anders Frisk’s dressing room to intimidate him. Chelsea progressed in the second leg through a John Terry goal, although Ricardo Carvalho had committed a clear foul on Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes.

Several months later, threats from Chelsea supporters led Frisk to retire from refereeing. The following season, after a succession of heavy challenges by Asier del Horno on Lionel Messi ended with the Basque defender’s dismissal, Mourinho accused the Argentina forward of putting on “a first-class performance”.

Mourinho’s time at Inter Milan was also marked by controversy. The report says serious refereeing errors were made by his fellow countryman Olegario Benquerenca in the first leg of their Champions League tie. Mourinho then celebrated excessively after the return match, prompting Barcelona to turn on the sprinklers at Camp Nou.

Real Madrid years bring peak tension

Nothing matched the tension, and occasional violence, seen between 2010 and 2013 during Mourinho’s first spell at Real Madrid.

The incidents included him reading out a list of referees alleged to have favoured Barcelona and saying he would “feel ashamed if I won in the way Guardiola wins” after the Barcelona manager had outmanoeuvred him at a news conference before the 2010-11 Champions League semi-final.

Mourinho was also seen waiting for the referee in the Camp Nou tunnel. The lowest point came when he put his finger into the eye of Tito Vilanova.

Several Real Madrid players were involved in violent incidents, particularly against Messi, with referees accused of being lenient. Sergio Ramos, Xabi Alonso, Ricardo Carvalho, Alvaro Arbeloa, Marcelo and Pepe were among those involved.

Mourinho repeatedly sought to create explanations to justify what had happened. This time, he has already begun doing so with comments about “the cat” and the scheduling of matches.

That leaves Flick with an additional challenge: maintaining his composure and refusing to be drawn into the provocation.