SUMMARY
- Jose Mourinho is one of the top managers of the current era.
- While Mourinho was at Real Madrid, he won the league title against FC Barcelona.
Jose Mourinho is one of the biggest managerial names in European soccer. The Portuguese manager has managed some of the biggest clubs in Europe and has won numerous league and European titles with multiple clubs.
Mourinho is renowned in Spain for his three-year spell at Real Madrid, where he won the league title against Pep Guardiola’s FC Barcelona. The entire rivalry between Mourinho’s Real Madrid and Guardiola’s Barcelona was intensely contested due to the history of Jose Mourinho with FC Barcelona.
Jose Mourinho was an assistant manager of FC Barcelona for 230 games
Mourinho joined FC Barcelona in the summer of 1996. He followed Sir Bobby Robson from FC Porto and joined the Spanish club as the translator for the English coach. Mourinho played a key role at the start of Robson’s stint at FC Barcelona.
Jose Mourinho translating for Sir Bobby Robson! pic.twitter.com/6P5AmIDBtR
ā Former Footballers (@FinishedPlayers) August 19, 2019
He translated Spanish questions at press conferences for Robson, planned training sessions, and helped players in the squad through tactical advice. As an assistant manager, Mourinho took charge of 230 games for FC Barcelona. 60 games came under Sir Bobby Robson, while 170 games came under Robson’s successor, Louis van Gaal.
Mourinho stayed with FC Barcelona from 1996 to 2000. He moved away from Spain to join Benfica in Portugal as their manager. FC Barcelona was the last stop for Mourinho before he started his managerial career with clubs in Portugal.
Jose Mourinho on rejoining FC Barcelona as Xavi’s replacement
Mourinho was among the managerial names that were speculated to join FC Barcelona in the summer of 2008. The Portuguese have impressed with stints at Porto and Chelsea, with whom he won numerous league titles and a UCL trophy. A reunion was on the cards for Mourinho, but Barcelona went another route and promoted Pep Guardiola from FC Barcelona B to take charge of the main squad.
šØ Ā”MOURINHO estĆ” en BARCELONA! šØ
š Niega tener su futuro cerrado… y OJO a la SONRISA al ser preguntado por el BARĆA.
š¹ @marccnunezz pic.twitter.com/0bBS1o4fXZ
ā El Chiringuito TV (@elchiringuitotv) January 21, 2024
The rest was history, as Mourinho went on to join Inter Milan in the summer of 2008. 16 years later the reunion is speculated again as current FC Barcelona manager, Xavi, announced that he will move away from the club in the summer of 2024.
Mourinho was spotted in Barcelona in January, where he was asked about his future and whether he will join Barcelona in the summer. The Portuguese manager laughed off the suggestion by ignoring the question, but El Chiringuito TV claims that there might be a chance that Mourinho will complete the full circle by rejoining the Spanish club after 24 years.
Jose Mourinho is currently without a club after AS Roma sacked him in his third season at the Italian club. While some reports link the Portuguese manager to Saudi Arabia. However, it might be too early for the Portuguese manager to move away from Europe.