Jose Mourinho returns to Camp Nou after 13 years and faces El Clasico

José Mourinho will manage Real Madrid this Sunday, October 25, at the Camp Nou, marking his return to Barcelona's stadium after thirteen years. It will be the first El Clásico that the Portuguese coach manages at the blaugrana home since the Copa del Rey semi‑final in January 2013.

In total, Mourinho has faced Barcelona in twenty‑seven matches across all competitions, with eight wins, nine draws and ten defeats. In the Spanish tournaments —La Liga, Copa del Rey and Supercopa— he has played seventeen games, achieving five victories, six draws and six losses. The last meeting before his absence was in February 2013 at the Bernabéu, where Real Madrid lost to Barcelona.

Post‑Real career

Mourinho left Real Madrid in 2013 and, since then, has not faced Barcelona with Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Roma, Fenerbahçe or Benfica. With none of those teams did he manage to contest an El Clásico at the Camp Nou or any other stadium.

Among those defeats, the 5‑0 thrashing of Real Madrid at the Camp Nou during the 2010‑11 season stands out. That night the score was recorded as one of the greatest humiliations in the recent history of the rivalry.

Memories and controversies

Before his coaching career, Mourinho worked at Barcelona between 1996 and 2000 as an assistant to Louis Van Gaal. In a video he can be heard shouting “Today, tomorrow and always, with Barça in the heart” to the fans.

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In 2010, while managing Inter Milan, he eliminated Barcelona in the Champions League semi‑final, one of his most remembered victories against the Catalan club. In the second leg, Mourinho whispered in Pep Guardiola’s ear as the latter gave instructions to Zlatan Ibrahimović, a gesture that stoked the rivalry.

His time in football has been marred by controversies, such as the famous gesture of pointing a finger at Guardiola’s former coach, Tito Vilanova, in 2014. More recently, the Negreira case continues to fuel criticism in his press conferences. Fans remember Mou as a controversial figure, and Jos’s followers also recall his stint at Barça.

The El Clásico will be played at the Spotify Camp Nou at 21:00, and the local crowd is expected to receive Mourinho without much praise. Real Madrid players are preparing to face a Barcelona looking to overturn the 5‑0 defeat of the past.

Mourinho’s return to the Camp Nou reignites a rivalry that has defined more than two decades of Spanish football. The result could determine the direction of both teams in the final stretch of La Liga.