Before the clásico: 5 unforgettable encounters between Mourinho and Barcelona

José Mourinho's first spell as Real Madrid manager between 2010 and 2013 witnessed an exceptional rivalry with Barcelona, marked by decisive victories, heavy defeats, and controversial events. We will review the five most notable encounters.

Barcelona have thrashed Real Madrid with a stunning five-goal performance.

On November 29, 2010, Real Madrid, led by Mourinho, suffered a heavy defeat against Barcelona, losing 5-0 at Camp Nou, in the first Clasico for the Portuguese manager against Guardiola's team. Xavi opened the scoring, Pedro added the second goal, before David Villa scored two goals, and Jeffren Suárez capped off the five-goal haul. Mourinho later described the defeat as the biggest of his coaching career.

Cristiano Ronaldo's header secures the King's Cup final.

On April 20, 2011, the rivalry between the two teams renewed in the Copa del Rey final, five months after the five-goal thrashing. Real Madrid managed to clinch the title with a 1-0 victory after the match extended into extra time, when Cristiano Ronaldo rose to meet a cross and scored the winning goal with a powerful header. This victory denied Barcelona the chance to continue their pursuit of a treble, marking one of José Mourinho's standout moments with the royal team.

Lionel Messi strikes against Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final.

A week later, the two teams met in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final, with Barcelona winning 2-0 in Madrid. The match was marked by significant tension between the coaches, and the home side's task became more difficult after Pepe was sent off. Lionel Messi took advantage of the situation to score the first goal, then added a second after a remarkable solo run, giving Barcelona an important advantage ahead of the return leg, which ended in a 1-1 draw, allowing the Catalan team to advance to the final.

The Super Clasico features the incident between José Mourinho and Tito Vilanova.

On August 17, 2011, Barcelona beat Real Madrid 3-2 in the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup, after the teams drew 2-2 in the first leg. Andrés Iniesta and Lionel Messi scored Barcelona's opening goals in the first half, while Real Madrid responded through Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema. Messi sealed the match with his second goal of the game, but the match was marked by significant tension and a brawl between players and coaching staff, after Marcelo was sent off for a violent challenge on Cesc Fàbregas, before Mourinho poked Tito Vilanova, Guardiola's assistant, in the eye.

Cristiano Ronaldo leads Real Madrid to a crucial victory at Camp Nou.

On April 21, 2012, Real Madrid secured an important 2-1 victory over Barcelona in La Liga, with Sami Khedira scoring the opening goal. Alexis Sánchez equalized for the Catalan side, but Cristiano Ronaldo netted the winner after a pass from Mesut Özil, giving his team three valuable points in the title race. The win extended the gap between the two teams to seven points with four rounds remaining, marking a crucial step for Real Madrid towards clinching the league title.