Jose Mourinho returns to Madrid derby 13 years after Atletico turning point

Jose Mourinho volition instrumentality complaint of his archetypal Madrid derby successful 13 years erstwhile Real Madrid sojourn Atletico Madrid connected Sunday, returning to a fixture helium past experienced connected the nighttime Diego Simeone yet broke Atletico's long-standing inferiority analyzable against their neighbours.

The rivalry has produced much than 300 meetings, with Real Madrid inactive holding a commanding humanities advantage.

Yet the modern derby tells a precise antithetic communicative from the 1 Mourinho knew during his archetypal spell astatine the Santiago Bernabeu.

When the Portuguese past faced Atletico arsenic Real boss, the Colchoneros had gone 14 years without beating their metropolis rivals.

That drought ended successful melodramatic manner successful the 2013 Copa del Rey last astatine the Bernabeu.

Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring for Real, Diego Costa equalised and Miranda headed the victor successful other clip arsenic Atletico completed a 2-1 victory.

For Simeone, it was overmuch much than different trophy.

It was the nighttime Atletico proved they could bushed Real again.

Simeone's 2013 triumph ended 14 years of Atletico derby pain

Before that final, Atletico's grounds against Real had go progressively hard to ignore.

The red-and-whites had gone 25 consecutive meetings without triumph betwixt 1999 and 2013, a tally which reflected the wider quality betwixt the 2 clubs astatine the time.

Real were competing annually for the biggest prizes successful Europe and had assembled different expensive, star-studded squad.

Atletico, by contrast, had endured relegation astatine the commencement of the period and spent years rebuilding their presumption among Spain's elite.

Simeone's accomplishment successful 2011 began to alteration that mentality.

By the clip Atletico arrived astatine the Bernabeu for the 2013 Copa del Rey final, they had already go much aggressive, organised and hard to overwhelm.

That nighttime provided the breakthrough.

Ronaldo gave Mourinho's squad the lead, but Costa levelled aft an fantabulous Radamel Falcao determination earlier Miranda struck during other time.

The triumph ended Atletico's derby drought and gave Simeone 1 of the defining results of his aboriginal reign.

What followed confirmed it was not an isolated upset.

Atletico won La Liga the pursuing play and established themselves arsenic a accordant challenger to Real and Barcelona.

The rivalry besides dispersed onto European football's biggest stage.

Real bushed Atletico successful the 2014 Champions League last aft Sergio Ramos's celebrated precocious equaliser successful Lisbon, earlier defeating them again connected penalties successful the 2016 final.

Those defeats were achy for Atletico, but reaching 2 Champions League finals against Real underlined however acold the equilibrium had shifted from the years erstwhile simply beating their neighbours had go a large obstacle.

Mourinho returns to a precise antithetic Madrid rivalry

Mourinho present returns to a derby which nary longer carries the aforesaid intelligence dynamic.

Real inactive predominate the humanities grounds and stay the much palmy nine domestically and successful Europe.

Atletico, though, person spent much than a decennary proving that idiosyncratic derbies are nary longer foregone conclusions.

Simeone remains successful complaint and has overseen 1 of the longest managerial tenures successful elite European football.

His Atletico person won league titles, European trophies and repeatedly disrupted Real's home ambitions.

That provides an intriguing backdrop to Sunday's gathering astatine the Riyadh Air Metropolitano.

For Mourinho, the hostile is acquainted but the discourse is not.

During his archetypal spell astatine Madrid, Atletico's situation was to beryllium that they could vie with Real connected adjacent terms.

Now they participate derbies expecting to bash precisely that.

The idiosyncratic past besides adds different layer.

Mourinho and Simeone correspond contrasting managerial personalities, but some person built careers astir intensity, antiaircraft organisation and affectional power successful high-pressure matches.

Their past Madrid derby ended with Simeone celebrating 1 of the astir important victories of his Atletico career.

Thirteen years later, Mourinho is backmost connected the other touchline.

The effect connected Sunday volition not redefine the rivalry connected its own.

But the opposition with 2013 is clear.

Mourinho near the Madrid derby conscionable arsenic Simeone was opening to alteration it.

He returns to find an Atletico broadside that nary longer needs to beryllium it belongs successful the aforesaid conversation.