If there is one stadium that represents both Jose Mourinho and Inter, apart from San Siro, it is the Bernabeu. There are plenty of storylines surrounding Tuesday's Champions League opener between Real Madrid and Inter, which will kick off the 2026–27 league phase at the iconic stadium. This is the first time that Jose Mourinho faces Inter outside Italy (he has of course faced them in Serie A during his time with Roma), the team he coached from 2008 to 2010, winning the Treble and the much awaited UEFA Champions League trophy for the first time in 45 years. The Bernabeu is where Inter and Mourinho made history in 2010, when the current Inter coach Cristian Chivu started as left back in the final played and won against Bayern Munich with the brace scored by Diego Milito.
When Inter won in 2010, Mourinho didn't go back to Milan to celebrate with the fans, he instead signed with Real Madrid for the first time. Sixteen years later, history repeats itself. Mourinho has returned to the Blancos and will kick off their European campaign against Inter, and his former player Chivu, at the Bernabeu -- a place like no other. The Portuguese coach knows it's a special place, as he told Sky Italy ahead of the game.
"The Bernabeu is now my stadium, but it has been my stadium since 2010. It will always be an iconic stadium for Inter", he said.
How to watch Real Madrid vs. Inter in Champions League
- Date: Tuesday, September 8 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Bernabeu -- Madrid, Spain
- Live stream: Paramount+
- Odds: Real Madrid -163; Draw +338; Inter +390
This game is the perfect opportunity to take a trip down memory lane and look back at the Portuguese coach's career and the players he has managed since he began coaching in 2000. Let's take a look at the ten best players Mourinho has coached throughout his career. With any list spanning such a long career we had to make some cuts to make it manageable. First, we're excluding the current Real Madrid squad, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior are obviously two of the best players Mourinho has ever overseen, but their chapter under Mourinho has yet to be written. Similarly this is about how important their time under Mourinho specifically was. That's why Harry Kane isn't here. Kane's greatness exists despite his time under Mourinho at Tottenham, not because of it.
And now, onto the list.
10. Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
The Belgian probably enjoyed the best spell of his career under the Portuguese coach at Chelsea, producing not only 42 goals and 31 assists in 144 appearances across three seasons with Mourinho, but also winning the Premier League Player of the Year award in 2015. That came at the end of a campaign in which Chelsea lifted the Premier League title and Hazard established himself as one of the best players in the world, before his $100 million move to Real Madrid, which ultimately didn't work out for his career.
9. Wesley Sneijder (Inter)
If Inter won the 2009-2010 Treble and the Champions League that year, the Dutch midfielder was among the reasons for that success. Inter signed Sneijder from Real Madrid in the last days of the summer transfer window and he immediately became a starter and a key player on that Nerazzurri team. He was the perfect number ten for the team led by the Special One. Alongside strikers Diego Milito and Samuel Eto'o, he formed one of the most exciting attacking trios in Europe over the past 20 years.
8. Maicon (Inter)
The Brazilian right back was one of the best fullbacks coached by Mourinho in his career. He could certainly defend, but his best qualities emerged when he was attacking opponents, scoring some spectacular and decisive goals, including against Juventus in 2010 and Pep Guardiola's Barcelona in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal at San Siro. It remains one of the most memorable goals in Inter's history.
7. Didier Drogba (Chelsea)
Didier Drogba was the perfect striker for Jose Mourinho at Chelsea, when the English club signed from OM in 2004. The Ivorian combined physical strength, aerial ability and a clinical goal instict. Across his two spells under Mourinho at Chelsea, Drogba scored 60 goals in 137 appearances, winning two Premier League titles, two League Cups and the FA Cup.
6. Diego Milito (Inter)
Speaking of strikers, the 2009-2010 season under Jose Mourinho was one of the best for Diego Milito. Numbers can't really tell how important he was for the team, after signing in the summer 2009 from Genoa. In all the three 'finals' played in 2010, there is a goal scored by him. He scored against AS Roma in the Coppa Italia final won 1-0 by Inter on May 5 before scoring the key goal against Siena that gave the Nerazzurri their 18th title; but most notably, he scored a brace during the Champions League final won at the Benabeu against Bayern Munich.
5. Frank Lampard (Chelsea)
The English midfielder was a key player for Jose Mourinho at Chelsea, and one of those who best embodied the coaching philosophy of the Portuguese coach. Under Mourinho, he scored 67 goals and provided 35 assists in 215 appearances. He won two Premier League titles, the FA Cup and two League Cups with the Special One, who remains a major point of reference in his career, even now that Lampard has followed in his footsteps and become a manager himself at Conventry in the Premier League.
4. Luka Modric (Real Madrid)
Mourinho also played a key role when Luka Modric, the 2018 Ballon d'Or winner, joined Real Madrid from Tottenham, even if he coached him only one season before leaving the Spanish giants. Under Mourinho, Modric played 53 games, scoring four goals and started to build his Real Madrid legacy that lasted for more than a decade. Mourinho had a role in making that happen.
3. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter)
The Swedish striker worked with Mourinho in two different clubs, at Inter and at Manchester United. In his first season at Inter, Mourinho played Ibrahimovic as a number nine striker and it turned out to be one of the best years in the history of Ibrahimovic, scoring 29 goals and winning the Serie A Golden Boot. Despite his success, he decided to join Barcelona in the summer of 2009, a move that ultimately proved to be far more beneficial for Inter than for the Swedish striker.
2. Samuel Eto'o (Inter)
He was the biggest reason of the success of the Ibrahimovic deal for Inter, as Samuel Eto'o was included in it as well. With Eto'o, Mourinho had the experienced, winning player he needed to execute his vision on the pitch. The iconic away game against Barcelona perfectly captured his mentality: after Thiago Motta was sent off, Eto'o was asked to drop back and effectively play as a full-back, embracing the selfless role Mourinho demanded from his players. The results that season speak for themselves as Inter won the Treble, the second one in a row won by Eto'o after the one with Barcelona the season before.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo with help from Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
The connection between Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema was arguably the best Mourinho has ever coached in his career: Under him, the Portuguese striker scored an extraordinary 168 goals and provided 49 assists in 164 appearances, winning a LaLiga title, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup. Despite the fact the relationship between Ronaldo and Mourinho wasn't always the best, Mourinho always built his Real Madrid rosters around him, also thanks to the work done by Karim Benzema. Under Mourinho he developed into a more complete and reliable striker since he arrived at the club. Benzema, under Mourinho, scored 78 goals and provided 33 assists in 150 appearances and became a key part of the team that won La Liga title during the 2011-2012 season.
