Alex Kirkland Oct 22, 2026, 05:00 AM ET

José Mourinho says he doesn't look back. In August, at his debut news conference as returning Real Madrid coach after 13 years away from LaLiga , he was asked if he'd missed the Bernabéu.

"I'm not one for regrets," he said. "I'm not one for [thinking about] bad decisions, missing things ... I'm here today, there tomorrow. I don't think much about what I've left behind."

In El Clásico , club football's most storied rivalry, Mourinho left plenty behind. In three tumultuous seasons in charge of Madrid between 2010 and 2013, he faced Barcelona 17 times in LaLiga, the Copa del Rey , the Spanish Supercopa and the UEFA Champions League .

- Watch El Clásico live, 10/25, 4 p.m.…