Sports

Mourinho's Real Madrid Face Chivu's Inter Milan in Champions League Reunion

By Gareth Cox

Jose Mourinho's return to Real Madrid, 13 years after his first departure, has begun with strong results, though a recent league defeat has tempered the momentum. Under his guidance, Real won their first three matches of the season, scoring 10 goals with contributions from Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe, before losing 1-0 away to Real Betis last Friday. Real's attacking trio began the season strongly, combining for seven goals and four assists. The run included a 4-1 win over Real Sociedad, a 2-1 victory at Espanyol and a 4-0 rout of Malaga at the Bernabeu. Mourinho has publicly backed the three forwards, dismissing suggestions he was reluctant to use them together. "Very, very good players want to play together always, because they have the same speed of thought, the same quality, and they always have to be compatible," he said. "It was said that I didn't want the three, but what I say is that I always want the best." Mourinho has adjusted Bellingham's role, reducing his defensive responsibilities to focus more on attacking play. "Bellingham sometimes defended like a second left-back last season," Mourinho said. "I told him I do not want to see that any more. I made a deal with him." Bellingham, 23, has been described by his coach as a "unique player." Mbappe, 27, who scored a hat-trick against Real Sociedad, was praised by Mourinho as "hungry to make history," following the striker's emergence this year as the all-time top scorer at World Cups. Mbappe returned the compliment, saying, "What Mourinho has and has had throughout his career is that he's a guy who knows how to win and how to bring a group together. He knows how to motivate an entire club and group to go in the same direction and win matches." Vinicius, 26, who signed a new six-year contract with Real over the summer despite transfer interest from other clubs, has also earned praise from Mourinho, who called him "a machine" and said watching him play was "a pleasure." Real's unbeaten start ended last Friday with a 1-0 loss at Real Betis, despite dominating possession and chances. Real had 20 shots, eight on target, and 59 touches inside the penalty area, but failed to score. Betis took the lead through substitute Troy Parrott in the 81st minute, and Real's misfortune continued as a stoppage-time goal was ruled offside and Mbappe missed a late penalty. Mourinho, who received a yellow card during the match for arguing with officials, criticized his team's naivety while praising Betis for their game management. "Sometimes you lose and don't know why or how to explain it," he said. "Betis, who played for the draw, hit the jackpot… We clearly deserved to win, but deserving doesn't give you points." He also made pointed remarks about Betis players' behavior on the pitch, saying, "That boy who looked like he was dead right in front of my bench, I thought the ambulance was coming, but in the end, there was no ambulance." The loss leaves Real third in La Liga, three points behind leaders Barcelona, who defeated Valencia 5-0 to maintain their unbeaten start. The two rivals will meet in the first Clasico of the season on October 25. Real will next face Inter Milan at home in their opening Champions League match on Tuesday. Mourinho previously won the competition with Inter in 2010, part of a treble-winning campaign, and also lifted the trophy with Porto in 2004. Inter's current manager, Cristian Chivu, was a defender in that 2010 Inter squad, playing through a fractured skull sustained in January of that year and starting in the Champions League final victory over Bayern Munich, just before Mourinho departed for Real. Chivu took charge of Inter in the summer of 2025, following the club's heavy defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the previous season's Champions League final and the departure of manager Simone Inzaghi to Saudi club Al Hilal. In his first season at the helm, Chivu guided Inter to a domestic double, winning Serie A and the Coppa Italia — the club's first league title since 2010. Comparisons to Mourinho followed, though the Portuguese coach admitted he had not anticipated Chivu becoming a manager. Chivu, 45, whose only previous senior coaching role was a brief spell at Parma, credited his background in youth coaching for his development. "I worked in the youth sector for a long time; there needed to be a journey," he said. "I started from the bottom, and I learnt a thousand things that have served me along the way." Inter have continued their strong form this season, winning all three of their opening Serie A matches, including a comeback 3-2 victory over Napoli after trailing by two goals. Their only setback last season came in the Champions League play-offs, where they were eliminated 5-2 on aggregate by Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt, despite having won their first four group-stage matches. Ahead of Tuesday's meeting with his former club, Mourinho spoke warmly of Chivu. "Chivu will always be one of my own. I'm very happy for him, for what he's achieving," he said. "He has been my player; we worked together, we went through so many things together… There are former players who, without experience, go on to coach top-level teams, and some are good while others are not. He is succeeding." The Champions League group stage will also see Mourinho face another of his former clubs, Roma.