In 2010, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson met the man who had outsmarted him at Wembley in the Champions League final a season earlier. At an Elite football Club Coaches Forum in Nyon, Ferguson told Pep Guardiola, “Prepare yourself, Jose is on his way.”
The Scottish manager was only half-serious. After jousting with Jose Mourinho during his first stint in the Premier League and then seeing him scale the heights of Serie A and the Champions League with Inter Milan, there was a hint of a warning in his voice.
But Guardiola, who had already won eight trophies by then, did not take his advice seriously. “It won't be so bad,” he responded.
Underestimating Mourinho turned out to be Guardiola’s biggest mistake. While the Catalan boss did eventually have the better record in El Clasicos against the man that personified the antithesis of everything that was Barcelona, it had taken its toll on him and it was one of the main reasons he took a year-long sabbatical from football.
Those two years spent sparring with Mourinho were arguably the lowest points in the rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona. The ever-increasing hostilities between the players of both the clubs tore into the fabric of the Spanish team as well and it required the voices of stalwarts such as Iker Casillas and Xavi to mend the rift in the dressing room.
And yet, it was not always the case...
The pair worked together at Barcelona
Back in 1996, the pair were on the same side. Guardiola was in his prime as a central midfielder while Mourinho was learning the ropes as an assistant coach to Bobby Robson. The Englishman was a stellar manager but needed help in translating (literally) his ideas on to the pitch in a way the players could understand.
Enter Mourinho – the interpreter. The Portuguese coach acted as a translator and drew up plans with Guardiola helping him out when he could. Indeed, it was the pair who are often credited with Barcelona’s 1997 Copa del Rey triumph.
“We would exchange ideas,” Guardiola explained once. “It was a friendship. Well, a working relationship.”
Mourinho would eventually stay at Barcelona even after Robson’s departure, this time working under Dutch manager Louis van Gaal. Eventually, both Mourinho and Guardiola left the Camp Nou within a year of each other – only to cross paths a decade later. The Portuguese coach had even vowed to return.
“Today, tomorrow and forever, Barca is in my heart,” he claimed as fans cheered him on. Little did they know he would soon be a thorn in their flesh...
Barcelona pick Guardiola over Mourinho
When Frank Rijkaard’s reign at Barcelona was coming to an end, two Barcelona directors – Txiki Begiristain and Marc Ingla – went through a list of candidates to replace him. The list included Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger and then-Villarreal manager Manuel Pellegrini. But soon they found themselves interviewing Mourinho.
The Portuguese manager had done well for himself in the time since he left the club. He had won an unlikely Champions League title with FC Porto before getting his feet wet in the Premier League with Chelsea. A spat with the club’s Russian owner Roman Abramovich had seen his Blues career come to a premature end but he was ready to move on.
Equipped with a Powerpoint presentation, Mourinho presented his case. In fact, he wanted Guardiola as his assistant at the Camp Nou. Guardiola, too, had recommended Mourinho. But the club were wary of the baggage Mourinho brought with him.
Ultimately, the decision rested with the father of Barcelona’s football philosophy – Johan Cruyff. The club refer a pre-set criteria when picking a manager – they had to respect the club’s model and ethos, the playing style was a crucial factor and developing young talent was of paramount importance. Unfortunately for Mourinho, he did not satisfy most of the criteria set forth.
“It was clear that Mourinho was a great coach but we thought Guardiola would be even better. There was the important issue of knowledge of the club. Mourinho had it, but Guardiola had more of it and he enjoyed a greater affinity with the club.
“Mourinho is a winner, but in order to win he guarantees a level of tension that becomes a problem.” – CEO Ferran Soriano
Guardiola was appointed and an absolutely livid Mourinho went on to manage Inter Milan. It was at the Serie A club that he first sparred with Guardiola. That Champions League semi-final became synonymous with the phrase “parking the bus” as Mourinho’s numerically inferior Inter beat Barcelona on an aggregate scoreline.
One of their criteria for selecting a new Barcelona manager said: “maintaining a conservative profile and avoiding overuse of the media”. Mourinho has often made it all about himself and used press conferences as a weapon to destabilise opponents.
The iconic image of Mourinho running across the pitch of the Camp Nou with one arm raised and a finger pointing to the sky would soon remind Barcelona why they were right to dismiss him as a candidate.
His La Liga tenure would only remind them over and over again in 17 Clasicos...
All-out war in La Liga
Real Madrid were in a state of stasis when Guardiola's Barcelona were steadily marching towards every other trophy available. In desperation, they turned to the one man who could beat Guardiola and upset the established order in La Liga.
A poisonous atmosphere festered in Spain during Clasicos. More time was spent gesticulating at referees to pull out cards rather than play on. Injuries were faked and stretcher-bearers got some good exercise on matchdays. Players were magically healed as soon as a red card was shown to an opponent.
Guardiola soon grew weary. It wasn’t just him who was targeted by Mourinho now. His assistant manager, the late Tito Vilanova, had his eye poked following red cards to Marcelo and Mesut Ozil – one for a foul and one for the ensuing brawl.
Mourinho and Guardiola faced each other 17 times. Real Madrid had committed 346 fouls in that time. Barcelona? 220.
Football simply took a back seat.
"It is difficult when you have two Picassos in the same period." - Arrigo Sacchi
Press conferences were Mourinho’s ammunition to take digs at Barcelona, the referees and even their sponsors. Even UNICEF was not spared, who he felt helped the club receive sympathy and helped decisions go in their favour.
How much ever Guardiola tried to bring the focus back to football, Mourinho would simply find another way to lay it on Barcelona. And even Guardiola fell into his trap.
“In this room, he [Mourinho] is el p*** jefe (the f*****g boss),” Guardiola said of his arch-rival at a press conference when questions invariably revolved around Mourinho. “I don't want to compete with him here.”
After a Champions League exit in 2012, Guardiola was done. The Copa del Rey title would be his last before he opted not to renew his rolling contract.
“Four years is an eternity as Barca coach,” he explained. “I have given everything and I have nothing left and need to recharge my batteries.”
A year later, Mourinho would also leave Madrid under acrimonious circumstances. His battle with Casillas had seen him lose the respect of the players and Sir Alex Ferguson picking David Moyes to succeed him not only distracted him but also enraged him further. He had even tried to get Jorge Mendes to scuttle the deal with his eyes set on the Old Trafford hot seat.
It would take another three years...
Rivalry renewed in Manchester, but not with the same intensity
When Manchester City announced that Guardiola would take over from Pellegrini in 2016/17, it rang alarm bells at Old Trafford. Following Sir Alex Ferguson’s exit, there was no doubt that City were the better club in Manchester as United struggled in the doldrums under Moyes and Van Gaal.
With Van Gaal’s philosophy clearly not working, the board looked for a new manager. Mourinho, who was unemployed after Chelsea sacked him a second time was considered. But again, senior voices were not in favour of his appointment.
“A United manager would not do what he did to Tito Vilanova. Mourinho is a really good coach, but that’s as far as I’d go.” – Bobby Charlton
In the end, pragmatism won over idealism. But this time, the rivalry between the two will only come to the forefront twice a year – during the derby – barring a domestic cup meeting.
The Premier League is not a league where two teams race to the title like Barcelona and Real Madrid did during their time in Spain. And United are not in the Champions League this season for them to cross paths in Europe.
“If in the Premier League I were to focus on him and Manchester City and he were to focus on me and Manchester United, someone else would be champion.” – Mourinho
Guardiola also agrees. “It's not about him or me,” he said when he was asked the question. “He wants to win, I want to win, we know each other pretty well from before at Barcelona.”
Both teams have invested heavily to strengthen their squad this season. But Mourinho may have a trump card in Zlatan Ibrahimovic – the player Guardiola discarded at Barcelona in favour of Lionel Messi playing up front. Ibrahimovic has never forgiven Guardiola and he is a player who thrives on revenge and hatred.
The Manchester Derby will see two old foes renew a rivalry that could take the focus away from the game yet again. It will be up to the managers to ensure the focus is on the battles on the pitch and not on the touchline.
