Mourinho to Leave Madrid with Champions League Crown?

Jose Mourinho is coming to the end of his third year with Real Madrid, and the rumours are that this will be his last season with one of the world’s most famous clubs.

Quite where you go from Madrid is unknown.  The majority of players and managers to have represented Los Blancos have will normally see it as the pinnacle of their career.

However Mourinho has repeatedly stated his desire to coach in England again.  By all accounts, including his own, his happiest spell in management was when in charge of London at Chelsea – one team he is being heavily linked with coaching next.

The Three Year Plan

Mourinho has traditionally worked at clubs for a maximum of three years. 

He spent slightly less than three years taking Porto out of a slump and turning them into the Champions of Europe.  Securing Chelsea’s first English League title in 50 years took one year, and he stayed a further two years, while at Inter Milan his job was done after winning their first European Cup within two years, also after an absence of 50 years from the Inter Milan trophy cabinet.

So it is no wonder that people expect him to leave, despite his current four year contract.

Didier Drogba has recently stated his belief that Mourinho will be on his way back to Chelsea, a club with a vacancy in the managerial hotset for next season.  Others believe he is waiting for Sir Alex Ferguson to retire at Manchester United.

Disharmony

Madrid has not been an entirely happy place this season.  They are currently 13 points adrift of great rivals Barcelona, and there have been many stories of player unrest; from Ronaldo conveying his ‘sadness’ at the club in the early part of the season to talismanic goalkeeper Iker Casillas being dropped from the starting eleven.

However Madrid have excelled so far in the Champions League.  Last night Real Madrid took on Galatasary at home, winning 3-0 after an early goal from star player Cristiano Ronaldo allowed Real Madrid to offer the initiative to Galatasary, who they punished with two further goals on the break from Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain.

The illusive tenth

La Liga is an unrealistic target now for Madrid, so the focus of the team is on the cup competitions and securing ‘La Decima’, the club’s tenth European Cup win.

It would be just like Mourinho to deliver it.  He is hired to get results, and so far he has.

·         Hired by Chelsea to secure league success. 

·         Hired by Inter to achieve success in Europe.

·         Hired by Real Madrid to topple Barcelona off their domestic and European Perch.

The first of his Real Madrid objectives was achieved last season.  It would be no surprise to see Mourinho fulfill

his objectives again within three years, becoming the first coach to win three Champions Leagues with three different clubs.