Before the Clásico: why does Mourinho harbour all this hatred for Barcelona?
A history of hostility
José Mourinho leads Real Madrid into his first Clásico of his second spell at the club this evening, and there's no doubt he's desperate to beat Barcelona.
Barcelona host Real Madrid at the Camp Nou in a game the whole world is watching, decisive for everyone involved. Beyond the historic rivalry, Los Blancos must win or risk falling nine points behind their old rivals in La Liga.
Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé will give everything too. But one man has more to lose than anyone, and he's determined to beat his rival tonight: José Mourinho.
Why does Mourinho hate Barcelona?
"Foot Mercato" published a report on the relationship between Mourinho and Barcelona, confirming that, for good reason, the Portuguese coach harbours a genuine hatred for the club. It's mutual, even if the tension has eased somewhat since his turbulent first spell at Real Madrid.
The story of hatred between the Special One and the Catalan club could so easily have been a love story.
Younger generations may not know this, but in 1996 a young José Mourinho arrived at Barcelona as assistant to Bobby Robson, whom he knew from Portugal.
He stayed on despite Robson's dismissal a year later, filling various roles within the successive coaching staffs. He worked as a video analyst, then as an assistant coach once again.
Mourinho's frustration
Many Barcelona fans mocked him and called him "the translator", since that's exactly what he did for Robson at the time. The players held him in high regard, though, including Carles Puyol, Xavi and Pep Guardiola, all in the prime of their youth.
The Catalan club's management refused to give him a prominent role. Some even say his dream was to coach the first team.
That dream could have come true after he left the club in 2000, with his name repeatedly floated as a candidate for the first-team job.
In 2008, the club considered it seriously. But Laporta ultimately handed the job to Guardiola.
These repeated disappointments left deep scars on the Portuguese coach.
Before taking charge of Real Madrid, Mourinho faced Barcelona in a 2010 Champions League semi-final with Inter Milan. The two coaches traded sharp accusations in the press conference afterwards, which made him a target for Barcelona supporters.
Naturally, the animosity between the two teams intensified the moment he arrived at Real Madrid.
With the media situation growing ever more complicated and the sporting battle harder against what many consider the best team in Barcelona's history, Mourinho adopted an aggressive strategy from the outset. He ramped up his media appearances against the Catalan club, levelling accusations over refereeing, and delivered his famous "Por Qué?" (Why?) after the 2011 Champions League semi-final, questioning the decisions of several referees he believed had favoured Barcelona in previous years.
What is the situation today?
The famous Clásico that ended 5-0 to Real Madrid in November 2010 is said to have hit him especially hard, and the presence of Pep Guardiola, who enjoyed the fans' support, caused him real displeasure.
On the pitch, his team played with notable ferocity. Then came the Spanish Super Cup incident in the summer of 2011, when he poked Tito Vilanova, then part of Guardiola's staff, in the eye during a verbal altercation.
For Mourinho, creating constant tension with Barcelona was a strategy too, one aimed at rallying every Real Madrid fan behind him and piling pressure on his opponent.
Since his return this summer, after several relatively quiet weeks, he quickly reignited the rivalry more than a decade later.
He's less sharp and outspoken than he was at the start of the last decade. Even so, the Special One never misses a chance to accuse Barcelona and the refereeing decisions he believes favour them.
The Portuguese coach has, logically, raised the Negreira case several times since the start of the season. Mourinho's rhetoric this season doesn't resonate much with Real Madrid fans, though, with many accusing him of trying to divert attention from the team's real problems by talking about Barcelona or the referees.
Tonight, at the Camp Nou, José Mourinho faces his arch-rival. Anything other than a win would be a bitter disappointment for him.
