Mourinho once made El Madrigal his scouting base, now he faces Villarreal with Real Madrid | OneFootball

Long before returning to the Real Madrid dugout, Mourinho knew Vila-real well, having turned El Madrigal into a workplace in 1998/99 while on Louis van Gaal’s Barcelona staff.

According to El Periódico Mediterráneo, the fixture list repeatedly sent Barcelona to face Villarreal’s previous opponents two rounds later, so Van Gaal had Mourinho scout them at El Madrigal and away. He now meets Villarreal with Madrid at the Bernabéu on 10 October, LaLiga matchday 8, 21:00.

His visits became so frequent that president Fernando Roig issued a season pass so he could compile reports, and that season ended with Barcelona champions and Villarreal relegated in their top-flight debut.

Mourinho had joined Barcelona with Bobby Robson in 1996 and stayed when Van Gaal took over in 1997, his duties expanding from translation to team and opponent analysis.

He soon became a head coach at Benfica and União de Leiria, then won the UEFA Cup and Champions League with Porto, before spells at Chelsea, Inter, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Tottenham, Roma, Fenerbahçe and Benfica.

From 2010 to 2013 at Madrid he won LaLiga, the Copa del Rey and the Supercopa de España, reached three straight Champions League semi-finals, and his 2011/12 side hit 100 points. Madrid confirmed his return in June on a three-year deal to 2029, which he has framed in emotional terms.

Source: El Periódico Mediterráneo

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”