Mourinho's Red Card Against Real Madrid: A Career Defined by the Colour Red
José Mourinho's dismissal vs Real Madrid adds to a remarkable collection of red cards. We look back at the manager's chaotic disciplinary record.
Mourinho’s touchline ban for the second leg against Real Madrid is no surprise to anyone who’s followed his career — the man’s got more reds than a Communist Party conference.
A Tale of Two Spells in England
Back in his Chelsea days, Mou picked up his first red card at Stamford Bridge against Cardiff City, giving Anthony Taylor a proper earful. A second followed at Old Trafford with United, where the FA came after him for misconduct across two incidents in under a week — the final straw being a meltdown over a potential penalty on Matteo Darmian against Burnley. His last English dismissal came against Southampton, this time for wandering onto the pitch, though the independent regulatory commission let him off the suspension.
All told? Four red cards across his two stints in England.
Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day, But the Reds Stacked Up Fast
His time at Roma was something else entirely. In just a few seasons he racked up ten dismissals — nearly triple his English tally. Some lowlights:
- Double yellow vs Napoli in Serie A, in one of his first big Roma games
- Direct red vs Verona, no messing about
- Another direct red at Atalanta in 2022-23, seventh matchday, early doors
- A two-match ban after charging onto the pitch vs Torino, described in the official report as him maintaining “a threatening attitude” towards the referee
- Called the Monza bench “crybabies” after a Roma winner — got another two-match ban and a €10,000 fine for his troubles
- Double yellow again vs Atalanta later that same season
Groundhog Day doesn’t quite cover it.
Turkey and the Nose Incident
At Fenerbahçe things escalated further. His first red there came against Manchester United in a Europa League tie — fitting, really. But the worst moment of his managerial career came in a Turkish Cup quarter-final against Galatasaray, where Mourinho grabbed opposing manager Okan Buruk by the nose, leading to Buruk hitting the deck. Three-match ban and a €7,000 fine followed. Grim viewing.
The Madrid Red and What It Means
After that Galatasaray madness, Mourinho had actually kept his nose clean — no pun intended — for a while. That run ended against Real Madrid in the Champions League, where he was shown a second yellow for demanding a red card for Vinicius Júnior.
The timing couldn’t be worse. Not only is he banned from the dugout for the return leg, but he’ll be absent from a stadium where a large chunk of the fans still hold him in genuine affection from his time in charge of Los Blancos.
From four reds in England to ten in five years on the continent — the man is a walking disciplinary hearing. Brilliant manager, absolutely cannot help himself.