When Real Madrid pivoted to José Mourinho in 2010, with the Portuguese’s stock at an all-time high, he was tasked by Florentino Pérez with one thing: stop Pep Guardiola.
It would take a battering in his first Clásico, mass psychological warfare, and the alienation of Madrid icons, but Mourinho would eventually stymie Barcelona’s mastery with a record-breaking La Liga triumph in 2011–12.
