‘For Me It Is the Worst’—Remembering Jose Mourinho’s Last Madrid Derby in 2013

José Mourinho prepares for his first Madrid derby in 13 years as Real Madrid face Atlético on Sunday.

Mourinho’s team have blown several opponents away with their fire power during the early stages of the manager’s second coming, but also looked vulnerable and, at times, wasteful. It’s hard to know exactly where Madrid stand in their development under the new boss, but there can hardly be a more rigorous test of their mettle than a derby at the Metropolitano Stadium.

Madrid derbies are always spicy affairs and Sunday’s showdown between Mourinho and Diego Simeone promises to be cancel-your-plans appointment viewing.

Atleti have the chance to paper over their own not-wholly convincing start to 2026–27 and can leapfrog their rivals in the table with a victory. Perhaps even more importantly, they can definitively end Mourinho’s honeymoon period.

Whatever happens though, it is unlikely to be quite as dramatic as the last last time Mourinho faced Atlético, a match which effectively brought his time as Real Madrid manager to a close.

What Happened in Mourinho’s Last Madrid Derby?

The Build-Up

José Mourinho — The wheels had started to come off Mourinho’s Madrid. | Denis Doyle/Getty Images

The final Madrid derby of Mourinho’s first Madrid tenure took place on May 17 at the end of the 2012–13 season, with the two meeting in a blockbuster Copa del Rey final.

Unable to locate a neutral stadium worthy of hosting, the Bernabéu was chosen as the venue for the final due to its capacity—despite giving Los Blancos an obvious home advantage—with fans receiving an equal ticketing allocation.

Prior to the match, Atleti had gone 26 consecutive meetings, across 14 years, without victory against their great rivals, a factor that had become an obsession to Simeone, then at the end of his first full season as manager.

For Mourinho, unrest had dominated Madrid’s season. Despite an unbeaten run stretching back 14 matches in La Liga, and a win over Barcelona to reach to the Copa del Rey final, things were unraveling fast at the Bernabéu, with the manager an increasingly cantankerous and beligerent presence.

Locker-room morale had plummeted and as the manager picked fights with the press, the league, rivals and (far too often) his own players. A shock Champions League semifinal defeat to Borussia Dortmund left Madrid needing to win the Copa del Rey to avoid the unthinkable: a trophyless season.

The Match

Atlético Madrid Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Asenjo; Torres, Miranda, Godín, Filipe Luís, Suárez, Gabi; Diego Costa, Koke, Turan; Falcao (Subs: Rodríguez, García, López)

Real Madrid XI Starting (4-3-2-1): López; Essien, Ramos, Albiol, Coentrão; Alonso, Khedira; Özil, Modrić, Ronaldo; Benzema (Subs: Arbeloa, Di María, Higuaín)

Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring for Los Blancos with a typically towering header less than quarter of an hour into the match, while Diego Costa levelled up before half time.

Speaking some years later to Amazon Prime, Atleti physio Óscar Ortega described Real Madrid’s relentless attacking as like “a hurricane”, but Simeone’s men weathered the storm in the second half—Juanfran famously blocked a shot from Ronaldo on the line, while a young Thibaut Courtois made several outstanding saves to keep Atleti alive.

Mourinho, meanwhile, was sent off for arguing with the referee, as things got increasingly heated on the touchline.

It was then Atleti who took control in extra time, with center back João Miranda meeting a corner to head past goalkeeper Diego López—selected amid Mourinho’s ongoing feud with club captain Iker Casillas—and set Simeone’s side on the way to a famous victory.

To add insult to injury, Ronaldo was given a second yellow before the end and Atleti fans got to party at their biggest rival’s stadium.

“Mourinho stay” was chanted ironically from the stands, with the Real Madrid manager all out of rope.

The Fallout

Atlético Madrid celebrate winning Copa del Rey — Simeone’s first triumph over Mourinho was a “turning point.” | PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU/AFP/Getty Images

Ortega described the famous victory as a turning point for Atleti, who went on to win La Liga the following season and reach the Champions League final.

Mourinho, meanwhile, said afterwards he told reporters after the match: “This is the worst season of my life.

“A Super Cup, a semifinal, a runner-up. For many coaches that would be a good year. For me it is the worst.”

Just two days later, Pérez brought speculation to an end as he announced that Real Madrid and Mourinho had “decided to bring [their] relationship to an end” at the conclusion of the season.

Mourinho managed just two more matches as Real Madrid manager after the Copa del Rey defeat.

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