Inter Milan president looking forward to Real Madrid clash in UCL: ‘We’ll have a special meeting with Mourinho’ | OneFootball

Real Madrid now know their first opponents in the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League, with the schedule for the league phase of the competition being announced earlier today.

And, Serie A champions Inter Milan will be the first opponent to face the Merengues in the competition as they visit the Santiago Bernabeu on September 8.

It will be a particularly emotional occasion for Jose Mourinho. Thirteen years after his previous spell in charge of Madrid, the Portuguese coach will lead the team in a Champions League encounter.

Moreover, he will also come up against Inter Milan, the team he coached from 2008 to 2010 and with whom he won the European title in 2010.

Interestingly, the triumph came at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Mourinho’s Inter defeating Bayern Munich in the final.

Mourinho will face his former club on his first European night back at Madrid. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

Emotional night awaits

Inter president Giuseppe Marotta reflected on the fixture and the emotional significance of returning to the Bernabeu, where the Nerazzurri last played in the group stage of the competition in 2021.

“When we talk about the Champions League, the charm and the emotion are always there, although for me it will be the thirteenth or fourteenth consecutive year,” he said, as quoted by Defensa Central.

“For Inter, it will be the ninth consecutive edition. We’re the Italian team that has participated most frequently in recent years.

“We’ll have a special meeting with Mourinho, we’ll return to the Bernabeu: we’ll experience many emotions that fit perfectly with this event, the most important one on the world stage,” Marotta said.

The Inter president also acknowledged the uncertainty created by the competition’s new format.

“I’m sure we’ll have a great group, although with this format there’s a great deal of uncertainty until the final matchday before we know whether we’ll progress to the next round,” he added.

Mourinho won the UCL with Inter Milan in 2010. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

No shortage of ambition

Marotta also stressed Inter’s determination to compete at the highest level while maintaining respect for the club’s history.

“We’re always ambitious. You have to be that way in sport: ambition, however, doesn’t mean arrogance. Inter have had an important journey in recent years, and we have an obligation to give our very best and respect the history of an important club like ours.”

The president also insisted that ambition should include the freedom to dream.

“At the same time, we have the right to dream. When dreams become reality, it’s because they depend on active participants like us,” Marotta concluded.

The tie against Inter will be anything but easy for Mourinho and Real Madrid, given that the Nerazzurri are a formidable team under Cristian Chivu. A highly-anticipated encounter awaits fans at the Santiago Bernabeu.