Mourinho's wildest moments as Real Madrid boss goes full Jose in latest outburst

Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho has added to his catalogue of controversial moments following his side’s defeat to Atletico Madrid. The Portuguese coach has fuelled rivalries, slammed refereeing decisions and clashed with opposition managers throughout his decades in the dugout.

Mourinho could not prevent Los Blancos from losing the Madrid derby as goals from Jonathan David and Alejandro Grimaldo saw off his 10-man side. However, the 63-year-old, who is famed for his press conference outbursts, produced pictures of two tackles from Atletico’s Cristian Romero and Lee Kang-in, which avoided red cards, while also focusing on the appointment of referee Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias

“It’s all been very strange. The referee was known a week in advance… and he isn’t an international referee, which suggests he isn’t exactly a top-tier official,” the Real boss said. “The poor guy came here and couldn’t handle the pressure.”

It is the latest high-profile incident from Mourinho, who first made waves in English football with his touchline celebration against Manchester United as Porto boss and later dubbed himself “a special one” when being unveiled as Chelsea manager in 2004. Here is a look at some of the wildest moments from his coaching career.

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The then-Chelsea boss was branded “an enemy of football” by UEFA referees' committee chairman Volker Roth in 2005. The issue stemmed from Mourinho’s accusations that referee Anders Frisk and Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard had spoken during half-time of a Champions League match, with Didier Drogba later being sent off for the Blues after the interval.

Rijkaard insisted that Frsk had sent him away, while the referee came under intense scrutiny and received death threats in the aftermath before choosing to retire in March 2005. Reacting to Frisk’s decision, refereeing chief Roth said: “We can't accept that one of our best referees has been forced to quit because of this. People like Mourinho are the enemy of football.”

Mourinho received a two-game ban from UEFA, which prevented the manager from being on the sideline for his team’s quarter-final clash with Bayern Munich. However, the master tactician snuck into the dressing room after getting to Stamford Bridge several hours before the game.

“I went there and nobody saw me. The problem was to leave after,” he later admitted to beIN Sport. “And Stewart Bannister the kit man put me in the basket. It was a little bit open so I could breathe.

“But when he is taking it outside the dressing room, the UEFA guys were following and desperate to find me so he closed the box and I couldn't breathe! When he opened the box I was dying! I am serious! I was claustrophobic, I promise! It's true!”

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Upon arriving for his first stint as Chelsea boss, Arsenal were reigning Premier League champions and Mourinho developed a rivalry with Gunners boss Arsene Wenger. In 2005, he referred to Wenger as “a voyeur” over a perceived obsession with Chelsea, prompting the Arsenal manager to consider legal action.

Mourinho later apologised for having overstepped the mark with his comment. However, he later branded Wenger a “specialist in failure” during his second stint in charge of Chelsea.

“If he is right and I am afraid of failure it is because I didn't fail many times. Eight years without silverware, that's failure,” Mourinho said in 2014 before referencing Arsenal’s trophy drought. “He's a specialist in failure. If I do that in Chelsea, eight years, I leave and don't come back.”

During his first spell at Real Madrid, Mourinho became involved in a scuffle with Barcelona’s coaching staff. The two rivals met in the Spanish Super Cup in 2011 and a tackle from Marcelo on Barcelona’s Cesc Fabregas led to a confrontation between the two benches.

Mourinho was seen poking the eye of Barcelona assistant coach Tito Vilanova. He received a two-match ban for his actions. The Real Madrid manager said of the incident: “I was the one in the wrong, I shouldn't have done what I did. Of course not, that negative image stays forever. Tito had nothing to do with it. I apologise to him.”

In 2023, Roma boss Mourinho made his feelings clear after losing the Europa League final to Sevilla. English referee Anthony Taylor had been in charge of the match and Mourinho vented his frustrations in the car park, saying: “You were a f****** disgrace tonight. It is a disgrace.” However, the manager denied that his comments were directed at Taylor, aiming his ire at UEFA refereeing chief Roberto Rosetti.

“Taylor wasn’t there. Taylor was still in the ground,” Mourinho said. “Other people, not Taylor. The fourth official, his assistants, Rosetti, Howard Webb, the technical director of the PGMOL.

“Everything ends, we go back into the dressing room, I go down to the garage and the refereeing team come in. I’ve got a good relationship with Webb and Rosetti. They’ve both refereed my games. I know it wasn’t elegant, but I didn’t insult anyone.

“I went over to Rosetti and said: ‘Ref’ — that’s what I call him — ‘ref, is it a penalty or isn’t it a penalty?’ Rosetti did what refs usually do. He didn’t reply. I asked Webb the same question. He put his hand on my shoulder and said: ‘Yes, Jose, it’s a pen’.”

Mourinho made several memorable comments during his time as Manchester United boss. In March 2018, he had blamed “football heritage” for the club’s shortcomings in the post-Ferguson era. He would later describe finishing second in the Premier League with United as one of his best-ever achievements.

Following a 3-0 defeat to Spurs in August 2018, Mourinho repeated “respect, respect, respect,” as he stormed out of his post-match press conference. He was sacked by the club that December.

After the 3-0 loss, Mourinho said: “Do you know what the result was? Three-nil. Do you know what this means (holding up three fingers)?

"Three-nil, but it also means three Premier Leagues and I won more alone than the other 19 managers together. Three for me and two for them.”

Mourinho’s time in Turkey as Fenerbahce manager was marked by several controversial moments. In April 2025, after losing to Galatasaray in the Turkish Cup, he clashed with his opposite number, Okan Buruk.

While both managers were speaking with the officiating team after the game, Mourinho appeared to pinch Buruk’s nose, with the Galatasaray boss falling to the floor in response. He was subsequently given a three-match ban.

Earlier in his Fenerbahce tenure, Mourinho found a unique way to challenge a referee’s decision. Mourinho felt that a goal against Antalyaspor had been incorrectly ruled out for offside and sought to take action by placing a laptop in front of a broadcast camera.

The screen showed a freeze-frame of the decision he felt had unfairly gone against his side in September 2024. He was booked for his antics during the game.

As Roma boss, Mourinho made headlines after admitting he had worn a wire to record his interactions during a 1-1 draw with Monza in May 2023. He described referee Daniele Chiffi as "the worst I've ever encountered” and took extra steps regarding his communication with the officials.

“I'm not stupid, you know - today, I went to the game with a microphone,” he said. “I recorded everything. From the moment I left the locker room to the moment I returned. I protected myself.”