José Mourinho takes charge of Real Madrid this Sunday evening in the first Clásico of his second spell at the club, and he is desperate to beat Barcelona.
Barcelona host Real Madrid at the Camp Nou in a match the whole world will be watching, decisive for all parties. Beyond the historic rivalry, Los Blancos must win or risk falling nine points behind their traditional rivals in La Liga.
The likes of Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé will also be striving to give their very best. But one man has a great deal to lose tonight, and he is determined to beat his rival: José Mourinho.
Why does Mourinho hate Barcelona?
The website "Foot Mercato" published a report on the relationship between Mourinho and Barcelona, confirming that, for good reason, the Portuguese coach harbours genuine hatred for the Catalans. It is mutual, even if the tension has eased somewhat since his turbulent first spell at the helm of Real Madrid.
It must be said that the story of hatred between "the Special One" and the Catalan club had the potential to be a love story.
Younger generations may not know this, but the young José Mourinho arrived at Barcelona in 1996 as assistant to Bobby Robson, who knew him from Portugal.
He stayed at the club despite Robson's dismissal a year later, holding various roles within successive coaching staffs. He worked as a video analyst, then again as an assistant coach.
Mourinho's frustration
Many Barcelona fans mocked him and called him "the translator", since he did indeed translate Robson's instructions at the time. Yet the players held him in high regard, among them Carles Puyol, Xavi and Pep Guardiola, who were then in the prime of their youth.
The Catalan club's management, though, did not wish to give him a prominent role, with some even saying his dream was to manage the first team.
That could have come to pass after he left the club in 2000, with his name repeatedly mentioned as a candidate to coach the first team.
In 2008, the club gave the matter serious consideration. But Laporta ultimately handed the job to Guardiola.
These repeated disappointments left deep scars on the Portuguese.
In 2010, before taking over at Real Madrid, he played a Champions League semi-final with Inter Milan against Barcelona. The two coaches exchanged sharp accusations in the press conference that followed, making him a target for criticism from Barcelona's fans.
Naturally, the hostility between the two sides intensified as soon as he arrived at Real Madrid.
As the media situation grew more complicated and the sporting battle harder against what is considered the best team in Barcelona's history, Mourinho went on the attack from the outset. "The Special One" ramped up his media appearances against the Catalan club, levelled accusations about refereeing, and uttered his famous "Por Qué?" (Why?) after the 2011 Champions League semi-final, questioning decisions he believed had favoured Barcelona in previous years.
What is the situation today?
The famous Clásico that ended 5-0 to Real Madrid in November 2010 is also said to have affected him emotionally, and the presence of Pep Guardiola, who enjoyed the fans' support, provoked his resentment.
On the pitch, his team played with notable ferocity. Then came the Spanish Super Cup incident in the summer of 2011, when he poked Tito Vilanova, then part of Guardiola's staff, in the eye during a verbal altercation.
For Mourinho, creating constant tension with Barcelona was also a strategy, designed to rally all Real Madrid fans behind him and pile pressure on his rival.
Since his return this summer, and after several relatively quiet weeks, he quickly relit the fuse of the rivalry more than a decade on.
Even if he is less sharp and less outspoken than he was at the start of the last decade, "the Special One" does not miss an opportunity to accuse Barcelona and the refereeing decisions he believes favour them.
The Portuguese has, logically, referred to the Negreira case several times since the start of the season. His rhetoric does not resonate greatly with Real Madrid fans, though, with many accusing him of trying to divert attention from the team's real problems by talking about Barcelona or the referees.
Tonight, at the Camp Nou, José Mourinho faces his bitter rival. Anything other than a win would be a bitter disappointment.