MADRID, Spain (AFP) — When Jose Mourinho left Inter Milan for Real Madrid in the summer of 2010, after leading the Italian outfit to Champions League glory, he was at the peak of his powers.

The Portuguese coach claimed a historic treble with Inter, clinching Serie A in the last week of the season and lifting the Coppa Italia.

Inter beat Bayern 2-0 in the Champions League final at Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium, winning the trophy for the first time since 1965 and becoming the first Italian team to win the treble.

The day after the final, Mourinho said it was likely his last match in charge, and around a week later his appointment at Real Madrid was finalised.

Now, 16 years on, and beginning his second stint at Madrid, Mourinho kicks off the record 15-time Champions League winners’ European campaign against Inter on Tuesday at the Bernabeu.

Neither the veteran coach nor Inter have been able to reproduce that level of European success since.

Inter have reached the final on two subsequent occasions, beaten in 2023 by Manchester City and then thrashed by Paris Saint-Germain in the 2025 showpiece.

Malaga’s Carlos Puga (left) and Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior fight for the ball during the Spanish League match at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid, Spain, on August 30, 2026.

Mourinho was unable to help Real Madrid past the semi-finals, and after leaving the club in 2013 has mainly spent his time competing in lower levels of European competition.

The 63-year-old led Manchester United to the Europa League in 2017 and won the Conference League with Roma in 2022.

Fished out of the relative wilderness by Madrid President Florentino Perez this summer after two seasons without a major trophy for Los Blancos, Mourinho’s main task is to return the club to their European throne.

Only five coaches have won the trophy more times than Mourinho, who also lifted it with Porto in 2004 to kick-start his career and earn him passage to Chelsea and Europe’s biggest leagues.

“My attraction to Real Madrid is due to its history, its frustrations in recent years, and its expectations to win,” said Mourinho in 2010, although the same holds true now, after a remarkable period of success ended.

In his first reign Mourinho helped disrupt Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona dominance within Spain but was unable to help Madrid end their wait for a 10th European Cup.

That came under his successor Carlo Ancelotti, who claimed three with Madrid over two spells at the club.

Zinedine Zidane also lifted the trophy three times in consecutive seasons, with Madrid winning six in a remarkable 10-year spell.

Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez speaks during Monday’s press conference ahead of the UEFA Champions League football match against Real Madrid on Tuesday.

Perez credits Mourinho with building the foundations for those trophies.

“I’m glad my work had some positive impact but the titles belong to Carlo, Zidane, the players, and the fans,” said Mourinho.

Madrid’s grip on the trophy has loosened during the past two years, knocked out in the quarter-finals by Arsenal in 2025 while last season they were eliminated by Bayern Munich in the last 16.

Mourinho’s challenge is to prove both he and Real Madrid still can rule among Europe’s elite, and to stop Luis Enrique’s PSG retaining it for a third year running.

“Finishing without trophies at Real Madrid is not a successful season,” said Mourinho in August.

The coach’s second stint at Madrid started smoothly — with three wins from as many games — but on Friday they fell to their first defeat, 0-1 at Real Betis.

Inter’s visit to the Spanish capital will be an early test of whether Mourinho can restore Madrid’s European fortunes against the club with which he last reached the pinnacle of the competition.