JOSE MOURINHO could make a surprise move to Barcelona as the club’s new manager.
The reigning Spanish champions are searching for a new boss ahead of next season after Xavi’s decision to leave the club.
Xavi announced on Saturday he will step down as manager at the end of the season.
According to Spanish outlet ABC, Mourinho’s agent Jorge Mendes has offered him to Barca as Xavi’s successor.
The super-agent has the support of Barcelona sporting director Deco after his involvement in several recent transfers.
Former Portugal international Deco also played under Mourinho at Porto, where he won the Champions League in 2004.
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Mourinho is currently available after his sacking by Roma earlier this month and was previously a target for Barcelona in 2008 before taking over at Inter.
Prior to his first managerial role, the 61-year-old spent four years as a translator and assistant manager at Barca under Louis van Gaal and Sir Bobby Robson.
However, he has gone on to have several high profile clashes with the club, including during a three-year spell as manager of bitter rivals Real Madrid.
Mourinho was also involved in heated clashes with the Blaugrana whilst at the helm of both Chelsea and Inter.
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Mourinho’s Barcelona bust-ups
‘Illegal meeting’
After Chelsea beat Barcelona in the Champions League last 16 in 2005, Mourinho accused Frank Rijkaard of meeting with referee Anders Frisk at half-time.
He claimed the meeting impacted Frisk’s decision to send off Didier Drogba during the second half, with the official later retiring after receiving death threats from angry fans.
Meanwhile, Mourinho was handed a two-match touchline ban for his comments and labelled an “enemy of football” by Uefa referees chief Volker Roth.
2010 Champions League semi-final
Mourinho again knocked Barca out of Europe in the Champions League semi-finals in 2010, advancing 3-2 on aggregate despite a 1-0 second leg defeat at the Camp Nou.
He called the match “the most beautiful defeat of my life” and suggested Barca had been obsessed with reaching the final at the Santiago Bernabeu after the match.
Mourinho’s passionate on-field celebrations at full-time also led to a clash with goalkeeper Victor Valdes, whilst the Spanish press declared the match as the moment he passed the test to become Real Madrid boss.
Eye poke
A brawl erupted during the closing stages of the Spanish Super Cup in 2011 as Barca won 3-2 to claim the trophy 5-4 on aggregate.
During the brawl, Mourinho was spotted poking Barcelona assistant Tito Vilanova in the eye, although he escaped punishment as the incident was not included in the referee’s report.
Mourinho doubled down after the match, though, claiming he did not know who “Pito” Vilanova was, with “pito” being Spanish slang for penis.
Ending the drought
Mourinho ended Los Blancos’ five-year wait for a victory at the Camp Nou in April 2012 as a 2-1 victory extended his side’s lead at the top of La Liga to seven points with just four matches remaining.
Although not as heated as his previous bust-ups, the win was a significant victory over Barca, as it also represented their first El Clasico defeat since 2008.
Then manager Pep Guardiola conceded the title to Real Madrid after the match.
During his managerial career, he has faced Barca 27 times, winning on eight occasions and losing 10 times.
As Real Madrid boss, he finished nine points clear of Barca to win the title in 2012 after finishing on 100 points.
Both his Chelsea and Inter sides knocked the Spanish giants out of the Champions League, with the Italians doing so on their way to winning the treble in 2010.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
