A reporter from Xida Daily disclosed in the book how Mourinho offended everyone in Real Madrid back then

When talking about the most controversial and dramatic characters in football, Jose Mourinho undoubtedly ranks first. This "special one" is not only a frequent visitor to the championship trophy, but also a "dear" of the media and biographer - the number of books about him is unmatched in the football world.

Among them, "The Special One: The Secret World of Jose Mourinho" written by Diego Torres, a reporter from the Spanish newspaper Le National, is a classic. This book deeply analyzes Mourinho's unknown "dark side": his scheming, fear, anger, pain, humiliation, quarrel and obsession. And these dark sides were magnified to the extreme during the three years of coaching Real Madrid from 2010 to 2013. The root of fear: The shadow from Guardiola and Barcelona

Mourinho was standing at the top of Europe when he arrived at the Bernabeu - he just led Inter Milan to complete the triumphal title (Champions League, Serie A, Italian Copa). However, deep in his heart, he was deeply afraid of the nearly perfect Barcelona under Guardiola and the dominance that Tito Biranova later continued. This fear permeated every detail of his coaching Real Madrid.

Governing the army with fear: Starting with a piece of steak

According to Real Madrid players, the beef they eat every day at the training base Waldbebas is very delicious. But Mourinho disagreed. He believes that beef in different parts—beef brisket, beef lettuce, shoulder blades, buttocks, beef tendons, and filets—all need to undergo specific treatment methods. In his opinion, the chefs did not achieve professional standards: beef tendons should be fried, beef tendons should be grilled, and shoulder blades should be baked.

If handled improperly, the flesh will become hard, and chewing will cause discomfort to the teeth, gums, and oral nerve tissue, which will affect the player's overall physical fitness. Despite the efforts of the chefs to improve, Mourinho was never satisfied. There are two possibilities behind this: either the chef does not know how to cook, or the supplier is cheating on the club. In the winter of 2011, Mourinho directly asked Real Madrid to fire all chefs and replace meat suppliers.

Fear is Mourinho's tool to control the team. He exchanges for absolute obedience from the players by creating fear. In the locker room, his emotions swayed between two extremes: sometimes as close as a close friend, sometimes being cold and alienated, and even despises certain players.

He showed great enthusiasm for some players (such as Kaka) and lasted for months. But one morning, he might suddenly stop saying hello or even refuse to make eye contact. Kaka never understands the reason. Teammates realized: If this "out of favor" can happen to Kaka, then anyone could be the next one.

Psychological Deterrence: "Silent Trial" in the Office

For players, the most tense moment is being called into the head coach's office. The walls are full of "Best Coach" trophy, photos of Mourinho holding the Champions League trophy with Inter Milan, and his own portrait. Among them, the portrait was particularly eye-catching - he raised his chin slightly and his eyes were gloomy, just like Che Guevara in the lens of Alberto Corda, full of provocation and oppression.

A young player once described Mourinho's unique body language: sitting behind his desk, he remained motionless like a "spianx" or a yoga practitioner, his facial muscles were extremely relaxed, and his eyes were staring at the visitor without blinking. He expressed his emotions only with subtle movements of his lips (even his tongue), his voice as cold as metal and mechanical. And his opening remarks are always the iconic manifesto: "I am Jose Mourinho..."

"Murinho is a master of performance," semiotician Jorge Lozano once commented. One of his most admired characters is Hannibal Lecter, the psychological manipulator played by Anthony Hopkins in "The Silence of the Lambs".

Mourinho carefully designed the lines and performances for each of his "characters". In public, he was the "song team commander" in ancient Greek dramas, controlling the overall situation; in the face of reporters, he put on a mysterious mask, his words were full of hints; in front of players, he turned into a tribal chief, and his majesty was not to be challenged.

He sometimes suddenly missed the public event he was supposed to attend and asked the assistant coach to speak on his behalf. This is not accidental, but a carefully calculated strategy of “deification”—just like in primitive religions, the gods convey their will through the mouth of the priest. And this "priest" is his number one assistant, Etol Kalanka. Kalanca always starts with "as the head coach said...", perfectly retelling Mourinho's will.

Intelligence networks and factional struggles

Mourinho's assistants perform their own duties, far beyond technical scope: Assistant coach Silvinho Louro is responsible for monitoring captain Casillas; physical coach Rui Faria is a consultant to Ronaldo; assistant coach José Morais is responsible for contacting South American players. The entire behind-the-scenes team formed a strict intelligence network, providing Mourinho with a basis for decision-making.

Caranca has served as Mourinho's chief assistant since December 2010. At first, the players regarded him as a trusted bridge of communication. The 37-year-old former Real Madrid meritorious player once won the 2000 Champions League championship with the team.

However, over time, even Casillas began to avoid Kalanca. The scene of Spanish players having breakfast with Kalanca gradually disappearing. The players even waited for Kalanka to sit down with her meal and deliberately chose a table in the distance. The collapse of trust also destroyed the unity in the locker room.

Soon, multiple factions formed within Real Madrid:

Pro-Mutual factions: Pepe, Khedira, Marcelo, Ronaldo, and Di Maria.

Pro-Florentino: Casillas, Ramos, Higuain, Benzema, Pedro Leon, Las Diarra, Canales.

Independence: Aveloa, Granero, Javi Alonso.

"Mendes Department": Portuguese central defender Carvalho, close relationship with his agent Jorge Mendes.

These factions are constantly reorganized or split as interests change, and the locker room is undercurrent.

The media, that is, weapons, Mourinho firmly controls the club's media policies. He decides who can take the interview and what to say. If a player accepts an exclusive interview with the media, he must report the content to him in advance.

In his eyes, the referee is always the "villain". He asked players to complain to the media that the schedule set by the TV broadcaster is conducive to Barcelona's recovery, but Real Madrid is overdrawn due to this. Any player "crossed the line" in a post-match interview and failed to repeat the rhetoric he prepared will arouse his anger. Casillas once angered him for admitting that the team performed poorly.

Victory is everything: unbearable failure

The player on the bench admitted that he had never seen any coach who acted so naked like Mourinho. His body language reflects the concept of football, namely "war".

He rarely shows satisfaction, and joy is always mixed with rage. For him, the essence of coaching is not to provide solutions or create great football, but to avoid failure at all costs. For him, failure was like an unavoidable air crash, an unbearable disaster.

2010/11 season, Real Madrid played away against Levante, in the 5th round of the game. Witnessing the team's weak offense, Mourinho stood on the sidelines and cursed, deliberately mentioning the private life scandal of old player Del Orno, trying to anger the other party, causing him to lose his calmness and relax his defense - and this is his disciple who brought to Chelsea from Bilbao in 2005. In March 2011, Chairman Perez summoned Ramos and Casillas to the office and begged them: "You must support the coach." He admitted that Mourinho's approach might be "crazy and unacceptable", but emphasized that it was for the greater good of Real Madrid - fans aspiring to the championship. Although Perez did not explicitly state that Mourinho would remain in office, he hinted that he was not a "temporary plan."

In order to appease Mourinho, Perez asked Casillas to express his support publicly. The captain said in an interview with Onda Cero radio: "Murinho is an extraordinary coach, and he may be the best in the world at this moment. You may think he is strange on TV, but when I live with him every day, I can tell you that I will protect him and give everything for him, because as a person, he deserves a full score of ten."

Mourinho coached at Real Madrid for three years, winning the 2010/11 Copa del Rey and the 2011/12 La Liga championship. In the summer of 2013, he left the Bernabeu and coached Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Roma and Fenerbahce.

His "dark side"—the use of fear, the desire for power, the manipulation of the media, the use of factions—is both the cornerstone of his success and the root of his ultimate separation from the wealthy family. He is a master of tactics and a player who is well versed in human nature and power.