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The gloves are off on the Real Madrid sideline.
The Madrid Derby unleashed a familiar version of José Mourinho, who chose to deflect from his team's well-known collective weaknesses by falling back on a tried-and-tested blame game.
The 63-year-old had projected an almost unsettling sense of composure during his first 100 days back in the Spanish capital, claiming upon his return that he was "more mature now, less emotional, more controlled."
But that façade crumbled after Sunday's loss, as Los Blancos fell to their city rivals in a match that turned on Dean Huijsen's red card at the beginning of the second half. Madrid now head into the international break sitting fourth in La Liga, already six points behind dominant leaders Barcelona.
The gap between the Clásico rivals is stark right now, and Mourinho can only use perceived injustices as a shield for so long. Granted, his post-match performance at the Metropolitano hit its mark, and it's certainly not the first time a referee has found himself on the wrong end of a Mourinho outburst.
Here's a look at some of the most unforgettable tirades from Mourinho's illustrious managerial career.
Retiring Anders Frisk
Barcelona are a recurring target in Mourinho's crosshairs, and the "special one" surely felt vindicated when the José María Enríquez Negreira scandal emerged in 2023.
However, Negreira, the former vice-president of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), had no jurisdiction over Champions League officials — and that's where our story begins.
Mourinho's Chelsea were cruising toward the Premier League title in his debut English season when they faced Barcelona in a high-profile round-of-16 tie, with the Blues advancing 5–4 on aggregate.
But Chelsea were forced to mount a comeback in the home leg after Barça exploited Didier Drogba's red card in Catalonia. The Ivorian forward received his second yellow for challenging goalkeeper Víctor Valdés on a 50/50 ball at the start of the second half, and the hosts turned the tie around, winning 2–1.
Furious, Mourinho claimed he had witnessed Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard speaking with referee Anders Frisk at halftime — something UEFA later confirmed — fueling speculation of a potential conspiracy.
Mourinho was handed a two-match ban for bringing the game into disrepute, and the resulting backlash against Frisk — which extended to death threats — was so severe that the referee announced his retirement the following month.
"People like Mourinho are the enemy of football," UEFA declared in response to Frisk's decision.
Banned for Handcuffs Gesture
Mourinho's siege mentality was at its most intense during his spell at Inter Milan, which culminated in a historic treble powered by Diego Milito's late-season brilliance.
But the Nerazzurri didn't have smooth sailing domestically, and Mourinho made no secret of his belief that officials were his team's biggest obstacle. "I always had the feeling that the referees had a campaign of errors against us," he later wrote.
"At one point, I started coaching the team to play 10 against 11, to be ready in case we had a man sent off. However, I forgot to do 9-vs-11, as against Sampdoria when they sent two of our players off."
Inter were forced to play over 50 minutes with nine men against Samp after defenders Walter Samuel and Ivan Córdoba were both dismissed for picking up two yellow cards in rapid succession. It was after Samuel Eto'o was booked for diving by referee Paolo Tagliavento, however, that Mourinho performed the infamous "handcuffs" gesture in front of photographers and TV cameras.
Despite the adversity, Inter held on for a point. Sampdoria's Giampaolo Pazzini was also sent off in the second half. Mourinho declined to speak to the media after the game and was subsequently handed a three-match ban for his touchline behavior.
Italian referees grew so exasperated with Mourinho's conduct that they threatened to strike if the Inter manager wasn't sufficiently disciplined.
Barcelona Blacklists
Mourinho was handed the challenge of dismantling one of the greatest club sides in football history when he took charge of Real Madrid following Inter's treble triumph.
His debut season in the capital culminated in a bruising head-to-head with Pep Guardiola's Barcelona, with four Clásicos crammed into 18 days drawing out the very worst of Mourinho.
A conspiracy-laden rant followed Madrid's 2–0 defeat to Barça in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal, as Mourinho alleged a UEFA plot to steer their fiercest rivals into the final, rattling off a list of referees he claimed had previously "favored" the Catalan club.
"If I tell UEFA what I really think and feel, my career would end now," Mourinho said. "Instead, I will just ask a question to which I hope one day to get a response: Why? Why? Why [Tom Henning] Øvrebo? Why [Massimo] Busacca? Why [Frank] De Bleeckere? Why [Anders] Frisk? Why [Wolfgang] Stark? Why?
"Because every semifinal, the same things happen. We are talking about an absolutely fantastic football team, so why do they need that? Why? Why does a team as good as they are need something [extra] that is so obvious that everyone sees it?"
In a somewhat ironic twist, the aforementioned De Bleeckere — who had sent off Thiago Motta for brushing Sergio Busquets's face during Inter's famous semifinal win over Barça the previous season — was appointed to referee the return leg, which finished 1–1.
Anthony Taylor Lambasting
The 2023 Europa League final was a fractious affair between Mourinho's Roma and serial winners Sevilla, with English referee Anthony Taylor distributing a record 13 yellow cards — not counting the booking issued to Mourinho himself.
Taylor was repeatedly summoned to the touchline in an attempt to restore order, but struggled to keep a lid on things as the match went to extra time and penalties. Had Roma prevailed in the shootout, Taylor would almost certainly have been spared the torrent of abuse that followed.
Mourinho led the charge once more. He tore into the referee during his post-match press conference, branding the outcome a "scandal," before confronting Taylor in the car park beneath the Puskás Arena and repeatedly calling him a "disgrace."
Taking their cue from their manager, enraged Roma fans aggressively confronted Taylor and his family at Budapest Airport the next day. One supporter was subsequently charged with affray.
Madrid Derby Receipts
"I've still got the same DNA. Obviously, I can't hide or try to be who I'm not," Mourinho told El Chiringuito, despite having previously described himself as "calmer" and "more mature" heading into 2026–27.
Those self-descriptions couldn't be further from the truth, as Sunday's Madrid Derby made abundantly clear. Once again, it was far easier for Mourinho to cry foul than to confront Madrid's glaring deficiencies head-on.
The Madrid manager had no objection to Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias's decision to send Huijsen off after he brought down Giuliano Simeone in the box — gifting Atléti a penalty — but felt the hosts should have been reduced to nine men earlier in the first half.
"The story of the game is here," Mourinho said postgame, brandishing images of the two key challenges. "They're two clear red cards."
His argument wasn't entirely without merit, with Cristian Romero and Kang Lee-in both escaping punishment for robust challenges that have drawn red cards in similar situations.
Mourinho went further still, questioning the suitability of 41-year-old referee Arias, whom he claimed "couldn't cope with the pressure."
"I thought I'd find a different league to the one I left [in 2013], and people told me no, and they explained why. But we'll fight."
Us against the world. A Mourinho classic.