Mourinho took seven minutes to get off the bench during the latest Clasico.
Before him, one of his assistants, largely unknown to the public, had protested to the referee. For some time now, the 'Special One' has put his anger aside to focus more on looking after his stars.
His winning tactical lesson in his 2-1 Real Madrid victory away to Barcelona was the culmination of his new approach to life - and to his work.
With a longer beard than usual and looking somewhat unkempt, the Portuguese arrived in Barcelona 13 years after his previous visit like a teacher on a school trip with his students. Gone were the heated battles with the Blaugrana side that, led by Lionel Messi, had wreaked havoc during his three-year spell at the Santiago Bernabeu. And although the duel between Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal had put them in the spotlight ahead of the Ballon d'Or ceremony, Mou triumphed by keeping a low profile.
Charisma
Mourinho never played at a high level. In fact, it was precisely because he was aware of his low standard as a player that he went on to reach the highest levels as a coach.
His ability to analyse and read matches helped him become the figure he was, despite a recent period without major success. However, his ability to act as a lightning rod and draw all the hostility onto himself pushed his teams beyond the obstacles in their path.
Winning the Europa League with Manchester United and the Conference League with Roma propelled him into an exclusive club as the only winner of every continental trophy. But his return to Madrid may have come through a goal against Los Blancos from his then-goalkeeper at Benfica, Anatoly Trubin, whose 98th-minute strike made it 4-2 and sent the Lisbon side through in the Champions League last January.
The Ukrainian goalkeeper's goal came after a suggestion from his coach, whose charisma has not diminished over the years despite his teams' disappointing results at the highest level.
But the victory at Camp Nou came because Mourinho knew both how to steer the match where he wanted it to go and how to read it. Marc Cucurella stayed right on the edge against Lamine Yamal throughout the game, and in the end the assist for Mbappe's decisive goal came from Eduardo Camavinga, whom he had trusted during the final quarter of an hour.
His slide on his knees after the winning goal said it all: quick and unrestrained, but symbolic nonetheless.
From one Ukrainian to another
The Special One must have a particular connection with Ukrainian goalkeepers. After what happened to Trubin at the Estadio da Luz on January 28th last year, the first thing he did at Camp Nou on Sunday evening was embrace Andrij Lunin, now in his sixth season as Thibaut Courtois's understudy. Called upon to defend the Blancos' goal in a match that would have left them nine points off the top with a defeat, the Ukrainian always responded well when called into action.
At his press conference, the Special One praised him after the second question put to him, even though the player had not been named. "No one asked me about Lunin or Fede Valverde, who played while injured, but I want to thank the players. They are the ones who win matches," he said bluntly.
The feeling is that we are seeing a calmer Mou, one who no longer wears a suit and tie or appears on the touchline as if he were heading to a gala dinner. Today, the Portuguese is less concerned with image and more human.
And perhaps we like him better this way. Even without trophies at the end of the season.
Born and raised in Naples, forged in Spain and Argentina, Antonio Moschella is a Football specialist editor for Flashscore. He's always looking for the best option to mix the proper football experience with backpack travel.
