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El Clasico and disgraceful hands-manita

Most football enthusiasts will respond that the Super Classic match between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, which had many intriguing stories, was the biggest game.
Leey
By: Leey

The 2014 publication of "Fear and Loathing in La Liga" by renowned sports journalist Sid Lowe, a specialist in Spanish football for the Guardian, recounts the stories that occurred both on and off the field around legendary games.

Mourinho and unrelenting obsession about Real Madrid's defeat

Frank Rijkaard's coaching tenure at Barcelona ended with chaos. Though Real won successive La League championships in 2006–07 and 2007–08 under coaches Fabio Capello and Bernd Schuster. Barca made the decision to trust Pep Guardiola, who was then in charge of the Barca B team, in the summer of 2008. Only one point was earned by Barcelona in its first two games of the 2008–09 campaign. But after 20 games, they only drew 1 game, winning 19 of them. Their might was like a hurricane.

Five days prior to the Super Classics match in December 2008, Mr. Schuster was sacked. Even though the Real Madrid team was bolstered by Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema, and Gonzalo Higuain, managers Juande Ramos and Manuel Pellegrini could not prevent Pep's Barcelona from winning La Liga in 2008-09 and 2009-10. Jose Mourinho then made an appearance.

In Valdebebas, Real's practice facility in the northeast of the city, Mourinho's office features a life-size cardboard figure of the manager. At the conclusion of the 2009–10 Champions League semifinal, he sprinted around the Nou Camp waving his finger in the air in celebration. It is when Inter defeated Barca and advanced to the championship game. Also, it was the time when Mourinho became into Real's coach and hero.

Barca players celebrate the 5th goal in the El Clasico match on 29/10/2010

The Real board was incensed by Ramon Calderon's request for the 2009–10 Champions League final to be held at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium. They had to face the terrifying reality that Barca had won the cup there, at the Bernabeu. The dread appeared to be coming true with each passing day. Real's sole hope when Barca advanced to the semifinals was Mourinho.

Nevertheless, Mourinho exemplifies the "anti-football," as the Barca players put it, by assisting Inter defeat Barca and relieving pressure on the Bernabeu owners. The players traveled back to Italy to celebrate Inter's victory against Bayern in the final at the Bernabeu, while the Portuguese coach remained in Madrid to finalize player contracts. To remove Barcelona from their current position was Mourinho's goal when he joined Real. It was ideal because both the team and the coach were driven to defeat Barcelona.

In 1996, Mourinho joined Barcelona alongside Bobby Robson as a coach. Theoretically, he was an interpreter, a position that frequently irritates Barcelona supporters. But in actuality, Mourinho is more than that, scouting opponents, assisting with coaching and creating extensive technical reports that Robson says is always "first-rate".

Barca was the strongest team in the world at that time

Under Louis Van Gaal, Mourinho continued to work at Barca and demonstrated his dedication to the cause of Catalonia by accusing Real of paying off rivals and famously exclaiming, "Now and forever, Barca in my heart!" when celebrating a victory. He highlighted the fact that his kid was a fan of Barcelona when he first joined Chelsea in 2004 and vowed to never stop being a cule. He added that he only coached Real Madrid to beat them.

But, Mourinho's relationship with Barcelona deteriorated while he was at Chelsea. The atmosphere was extremely hostile throughout their numerous clashes in the Champions League, and Mourinho frequently provoked Rijkaard, Lionel Messi, and other Barcelona players. Mourinho was rejected by Barcelona supporters in favor of Pep as the club's 2008 coach. unfulfilled love. When Inter and Barcelona played each other in the Champions League, the gap erupted into hatred. Mourinho is now a Real man.

Florentino Perez, the team's president, and his group are driven by a need to win and a desire to overcome Barca. They placed all of their faith in Mourinho and granted this general significant control within the organization. Then, as a result of his obsession, Mourinho developed into a tyrant behind the scenes, which caused him to clash with a number of players, particularly captain Iker Casillas.

5-0, manita, hand insulting opponent

History

Yet eventually, that moment had to arrive, and on November 29, 2010, Mourinho's first Super Classic game as Real's head coach took place. Guardiola vs. Mourinho. Against Messi is Ronaldo. continuous players Euros 292 million to Nou Camp. Most people took Sandro Rosell, the president of Barcelona, seriously when he promised Mourinho "the reception he deserves" at the Nou Camp.

When the final horn sounded, Victor Valdes, Gerard Pique, and Eric Abidal of Barcelona all raised their hands. They raised their hands all across the Nou Camp. The fans gathering on Ramblas Avenue also did. In a particular warehouse not far from the yard, individuals hurried to export a batch of T-shirts for just 9.95 euros each. Date, location, score, and a yellow hand are all displayed on the front of the card.

Defender Abidal raised five fingers towards Ronaldo

Barcelona led 4-0 after goals from Xavi, Pedro, and Villa. Jose, come out, the crowd chanted as Mourinho sat still in the coaching seats. The fifth goal by Jeffren didn't really change the outcome. The hand is a "manita," with each finger representing a goal. 5-0.

The pro-Barca Sport newspaper's presentation artist scanned his palm to obtain the image for the cover. Actually, the concept of "manita" is not new. Prior to that, Marca and AS, which supported Real, did the same when Real defeated Barca by a score of five.

Xavi remembers, "It was an incredible experience, the best game I have ever played. While there are more significant matches like the World Cup, the Euro, or the Champions League final, nothing can compare to the feeling of being better than Real. They didn't even have a chance to touch the ball. We celebrated in the dressing room by dancing and shouting. I imagine it must have been difficult for the Real players to hear us, but luckily, our dressing rooms were a short distance apart, so I don't think they heard."

The meaning of "manita"

"Manita" refers to the fifth time Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 5-0. This achievement is remembered alongside the victories in the 1934/35 and 1944/45 seasons, as well as the triumphs of the 1974 Johan Cruyff-led team and the 1994/95 "Dream Team" coached by Cruyff. Pep Guardiola, who won all of his first 5 Super Classics as a coach, presented the victory to Cruyff and Carles Rexach, recognizing them as the pioneers of the "dream football" style.

Under Pep's leadership in the 2008/09 season, Barcelona won 5 Super Classics, scoring a total of 17-2. Their style of play, epitomized by the second goal in this game - where they held possession for over a minute, passing the ball around to the tune of "olé" - became an inspiration for future teams.

"manita" is a polupar topic for press

The question of which Barcelona team is the best in the club's history was answered by Pep's team in the period 2008-2011. With 3 consecutive La Liga titles and 2 Champions League trophies, they cemented their place in history.

Despite this resounding victory, the 2010/11 season saw Real Madrid and Barcelona face each other four more times within just 18 days. They drew 1-1 in the second leg of La Liga, and Real won 1-0 in extra time in the Copa del Rey final. However, in the two semi-finals of the Champions League, Barcelona overcame their opponents with a total score of 3-1. They went on to beat Manchester United 3-1 in the final in London.

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Leey
Written by: Leey
Leey is the reporter for Betimate. She currently has a series of articles about football. She specializes in researching football data to come up with evaluations about the tournament and predictions about the matches.

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