MOURINHO FOR REAL MATCH UP

Mourinho ready for Real match-up
06 Aug 2013 05:36:02

Jose Mourinho has a golden opportunity to make a
point to Real Madrid when the Chelsea manager faces
his old club in Miami on Wednesday.
Mourinho will go head to head with Madrid in the final
of the International Champions Cup just three months
after his acrimonious departure from the Spanish
giants.
After feeling unloved for much of his time in Madrid,
the Portuguese coach is enjoying his second spell at
Chelsea, where he is treated with total respect following
his Premier League title triumphs in 2005 and 2006.
The hero worship that follows his every move in the
Premier League is a far cry from the hostile reaction to
his presence in Spain.
By the time he departed Madrid, Mourinho had made
numerous enemies among the squad, with his decision
to drop iconic goalkeeper Iker Casillas an especially
sore point, as well as falling out with some of the
club's hierarchy, while fans jeered the manager in the
final weeks of last season.
However, Mourinho's exit and the arrival of the more
affable Carlo Ancelotti as his replacement has been the
trigger for the kind of spending spree that the out-
spoken 50-year-old would have relished.

BIG SPENDERS
While Mourinho was always given fairly substantial
funds for signing during his time at Madrid, since his
exit Real owner Florentino Perez has given the green
light to a spending spree that is likely to approach
£150 million by the close of the transfer window.
In a bid to make a fresh start after Mourinho's divisive
spell, Perez has already splashed out £63 million on
Asier Illarramendi, Isco, Daniel Carvajal and Casemiro.
But the biggest purchase is still to come, with the
nine-time European champions on the verge of signing
Wales winger Gareth Bale from Tottenham for a world
record fee of around £85 million.
If the Bale deal goes through it will be the fifth
successive time Real have broken the transfer record.
Since signing Luis Figo for £37......more