When Mourinho arrived at Real Madrid in 2010, the brief was clear. He needed to challenge Barcelona, to win La Liga and, above all, deliver the club’s 10th European Cup.
He did win trophies. Real lifted the Copa del Rey in 2011 and La Liga in 2012, while Mourinho’s side also reached three consecutive Champions League semi-finals.
But they could not get beyond that stage.
Real were beaten by Barcelona in 2011, Bayern Munich on penalties in 2012 and Borussia Dortmund in 2013. Mourinho eventually left in 2013 without delivering the Champions League trophy Real wanted.
But he is adamant his previous spell should not define what happens this time.
“At Real Madrid, I’m going through two different periods,” Mourinho said. “I ended working for Real Madrid in 2013… This is a closed chapter. This match against Inter has nothing to do with the past.”
Mourinho has returned to a club that endured what he described as a “very complicated season” and where stability is now essential.
“What I’ve found at Real Madrid is what I’ve always found here,” he said. “The best club in the world.
“Obviously in the Bernabeu, I’ve won the Champions League, I’ve lost a Champions League semi-final through penalties, but I’ve had the best and the worst in this stadium.
“I’m not thinking about this. I think that I’m the coach of Real Madrid and a Champions League game is going to happen.”
But he also acknowledged the club needs to rebuild a stable foundation after a difficult campaign.
“Real is Real and at Real Madrid, you have to win,” Mourinho added.
That pressure is nothing new to him. His appeal to Real Madrid lies partly in his experience of managing elite dressing rooms and, crucially, knowing what it takes to win the Champions League.
Kylian Mbappe offered a similar assessment when asked whether Mourinho had been brought in to restore authority.
“Mourinho brings his whole career,” Mbappe said. “He is a guy who knows how to win, to have a group around him and he knows about giving motivation to the whole group.”