According to AS, Mourinho has once again set his sights on winning the Champions League for a third time, hoping to lead Real Madrid to the final.

Previously, he suffered defeats with Real Madrid against Barcelona, Bayern, and Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League in three consecutive years. He is on track to become the only manager to win the Champions League with three different clubs.

Guardiola's comments, Pepe's controversial red card, Mourinho's famous "why" questions, Ramos's penalty sailing into the stands, and Lewandowski's memorable performance have likely haunted the Portuguese coach countless times over the past 13 years. Since leaving Real Madrid, these images have been tied to his leading the club to the brink of the Champions League final in three consecutive years—2011, 2012, and 2013—only to be eliminated by Barcelona, Bayern, and Borussia Dortmund, respectively. Football owes Mourinho a Champions League final appearance with Real Madrid. His two Champions League titles—with Porto in 2004 and Inter Milan in 2010—captivated Florentino Pérez. This enthusiasm has endured to this day, which is also why Mourinho has returned. Since Mourinho departed, Real Madrid has won six Champions League titles. As Mourinho himself revealed, Florentino Pérez would call him after each victory, acknowledging that he had laid the foundation for these successes.

Mourinho understands better than anyone that the only key to entering Real Madrid's hall of glory is winning the Champions League. The three titles won by Zidane and Enrique have set a high standard. However, for Mourinho, a veteran of Europe's top club competition, anything remains possible. He has managed 153 Champions League matches, winning 80, ranking fifth in matches managed—behind only Wenger (178 matches, 82 wins), Guardiola (189 matches, 117 wins), Ferguson (190 matches, 102 wins), and Ancelotti (218 matches, 124 wins). Of these, only Ancelotti (56%) and Guardiola (62%) have slightly higher win percentages than his 52%. Moreover, none of these managers are currently in charge of clubs, which gives Mourinho an opportunity to continue improving his standing.

When asked about his unfinished business with the Champions League and Real Madrid, and the criticism often directed at him—three semifinal exits—Mourinho chose to downplay the issue. "I had two different periods at Real Madrid. I completed that job in 2013, and we won what we won and lost what we lost. We gave everything. Now all of this is completely unrelated to the past. In 2010, Real Madrid had not reached the Champions League quarterfinals in many years and had not played in the semifinals for a long time," he said, emphasizing his accomplishments.

"The current Real Madrid," he continued, "has won several times in recent years... I don't know, six, seven, eight times... These are two different periods, but that doesn't change my thinking. If you ask me if I desire to lead Real Madrid to win the Champions League, the answer is of course yes. But this is completely different from the context of 'I didn't do it before.'"

Mourinho is now in a perfect position to make history. He has the opportunity to become the first manager ever to win the Champions League with three different clubs. He has already done so with Porto and Inter Milan. Like him, Ancelotti (Real Madrid and AC Milan), Guardiola (Manchester City and Barcelona), Happel (Feyenoord and Hamburg), Hitzfeld (Borussia Dortmund and Bayern), and Heynckes (Real Madrid and Bayern) have all lifted the Champions League trophy with two different clubs.

While many managers have won three Champions League titles—Guardiola, Enrique, Paisley, and Zidane are all examples—Ancelotti's five titles still seem very difficult to match. None of Mourinho's three semifinal exits have been forgotten by history. The match against Barcelona in the 2010-11 season is particularly memorable. In that dramatic El Clásico storm, the Champions League stage witnessed Guardiola's classic comment, "José is the boss, the damn boss, he knows everything about football," and the Portuguese coach's famous "why" after Pepe received a direct red card in the first leg.

In the next semifinal, Ramos blasted the ball into the stands during the penalty shootout against Bayern; the following season, in 2012-13, Lewandowski completely devastated Real Madrid with four goals for Borussia Dortmund. Now, 17 years later, Mourinho has the chance to complete the circle. This is the key for him to enter Real Madrid's hall of glory.

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