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Mourinho begins Real Madrid’s European revival bid with Inter reunion

From Asharq Al-Awsat · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth From a news agency New plan
  • José Mourinho opens his second spell at Real Madrid against Inter Milan, the club he led to the 2010 Champions League title and a historic treble.
  • Real Madrid have failed to reach the Champions League semi-finals in the past two seasons, increasing pressure on Mourinho to restore the club’s European dominance.
  • Mourinho has won the competition with Porto and reached European success with Manchester United and Roma, but neither he nor Inter have matched their 2010 peak.

José Mourinho’s return to Real Madrid begins with a reunion against Inter Milan, the club he guided to an historic treble before leaving for Spain in 2010. Inter won Serie A in the final week of that season, lifted the Coppa Italia and beat Bayern Munich 2-0 in the Champions League final at Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu.

That victory made Inter the first Italian team to win the treble and secured the club’s first European title since 1965. Mourinho said the final would probably be his last match in charge, and Real Madrid finalized his appointment about a week later.

Sixteen years on, Mourinho starts Madrid’s European campaign against Inter at the Bernabéu. Neither the veteran coach nor his former club has reproduced that level of continental success. Inter reached two further finals, losing to Manchester City in 2023 and suffering a heavy defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the 2025 final.

My attraction to Real Madrid is due to its history, its frustrations in recent years and its expectations to win.

· José MourinhoMourinho described the reasons for joining Real Madrid in 2010, and the article says the same factors apply to his return.

Mourinho could not take Madrid beyond the semi-finals during his first spell. After leaving in 2013, he mainly competed in Europe’s secondary competitions, winning the Europa League with Manchester United in 2017 and the Conference League with Roma in 2022.

Madrid president Florentino Pérez brought him back this summer after two seasons without a major trophy. Mourinho’s task is to return the record 15-time European champions to the top. He has won the Champions League with Porto and is among the competition’s most successful coaches, but Madrid’s recent exits, against Arsenal in the 2025 quarter-finals and Bayern Munich in last season’s round of 16, underline the scale of the challenge. Pérez has credited Mourinho with laying foundations for later titles, while Mourinho has said those trophies belong to Carlo Ancelotti, Zinedine Zidane, the players and the fans.

I'm glad my work had some positive impact, but the titles belong to Carlo, Zidane, the players, and the fans.

· José MourinhoMourinho responded to Florentino Pérez’s claim that he helped lay the foundations for Real Madrid’s later European titles.
About this summary

Originally published by Asharq Al-Awsat in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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