Mourinho returns to Madrid derby 13 years after Atletico’s 2013 turning point

The useful part

Jose Mourinho returns to Madrid derby 13 years after Atletico turning point. The rivalry has produced more than 300 meetings, with Real Madrid still holding a commanding historical advantage. When the Portuguese last faced Atletico as Real boss, the Colchoneros had gone 14 years without beating their city rivals.

How it works

• Atletico won La Liga the following season and established themselves as a consistent challenger to Real and Barcelona.
• That drought ended in dramatic fashion in the 2013 Copa del Rey final at the Bernabeu.
• Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring for Real, Diego Costa equalised and Miranda headed the winner in extra time as Atletico completed a 2-1 victory.
• The red-and-whites had gone 25 consecutive meetings without victory between 1999 and 2013, a run which reflected the wider difference between the two clubs at the time.

What to take from it

Atletico, though, have spent more than a decade proving that individual derbies are no longer foregone conclusions. He returns to find an Atletico side that no longer needs to prove it belongs in the same conversation. Real were competing annually for the biggest prizes in Europe and had assembled another expensive, star-studded squad.

Example or evidence

• Atletico Madrid Real Madrid Atletico Madrid related articles Two changes for Jose?
• By the time Atletico arrived at the Bernabeu for the 2013 Copa del Rey final, they had already become more aggressive, organised and difficult to overwhelm.
• Ronaldo gave Mourinho's team the lead, but Costa levelled after an excellent Radamel Falcao move before Miranda struck during extra time.
• The victory ended Atletico's derby drought and gave Simeone one of the defining results of his early reign.

Details worth keeping

For Simeone, it was much more than another trophy. It was the night Atletico proved they could beat Real again. Simeone's arrival in 2011 began to change that mentality.

Related coverage

• Sportsmole: Real Madrid face Atletico Madrid on Sunday afternoon in the seventh round of La Liga, with kick-off set for 3.15pm at the Santiago Bernabeu. The match marks the first Madrid Derby of the 2026-27 campaign.
• Mundodeportivo: Ocho partidos, siete de LaLiga y uno de Champions.
• Soccernews: Jose Mourinho is getting ready for his first LaLiga Madrid derby since 2013, but he is approaching it just like he would any other game.
• Skysports: Atletico Madrid have hit back at Real Madrid's criticism of the referring decisions during the derby on Sunday.