“I joined Madrid in order to challenge Barcelona” – Mourinho

Real Madrid manager, Jose Mourinho, has revealed that the opportunity to rival Barcelona, was one of the majors reasons why he joined the capital club. The Portuguese signed for the Spanish giants in 2010, after landing the Champions League trophy with Inter Milan. And he says it is the chance to test himself against the best that bought him over.


“We are talking about Barcelona and Real Madrid, two great teams. Pick any other team in the world, and they would not finish in the top two in La Liga,” Mourinho told AS. “And that’s exactly why I joined Real Madrid. Because it’s not easy to challenge Barcelona. It’s very hard to be successful in this competition.

“Life’s much easier in any other league. Any league where you are not locking horns with Barcelona is easier. Barca are the main reason why Madrid got to where we are now, because they set the bar very high.

“Barcelona’s era of winning consecutive Liga titles is over, but their cycle has not come to an end yet. They are still a great team and so are Madrid.

“The rivalry between Madrid and Barcelona is a blessing for football. I don’t have any figures but I’m sure the Spanish Supercopa had a bigger audience than many Champions League games last term.”