Mourinho’s touchline antics steal the spotlight after Mbappe sinks Barcelona

Jose Mourinho reignited his long-running rivalry with Barcelona after celebrating Kylian Mbappe’s 87th-minute winner for Real Madrid in a dramatic 2-1 El Clasico victory at Spotify Camp Nou.

The Real Madrid manager dropped to his knees in front of the substitutes’ bench before punching the air with his tongue out, producing an instantly recognisable image during his first visit to the stadium since returning to direct competition with Barcelona.

Mourinho’s reaction followed Mbappe’s second goal of the match, which secured victory for the Spanish capital club and reduced Real Madrid’s deficit behind La Liga leaders Barcelona to 3 points.

Mbappe had put Real Madrid ahead in the 41st minute, but Raphinha brought Barcelona level in the 61st minute. The France striker then settled the contest three minutes from the end of normal time.

A video of Mourinho’s celebration was posted on social media by ¡El Capitano! on 25 October 2026, accompanied by laughing and heart emojis and the caption: “Mourinho celebration after Mbappe’s second goal.”

The moment added another chapter to the Portuguese manager’s controversial history at Camp Nou.

In April 2010, Mourinho celebrated Inter Milan’s qualification for the Champions League final at the stadium after eliminating Barcelona. That occasion also featured water sprinklers being turned on during his celebrations.

He has previously been involved in a series of disputes connected with prominent figures at the Catalan club. Those included his accusations involving Frank Rijkaard and referee Anders Frisk, as well as the incident in which Mourinho put his finger in the eye of Tito Vilanova during the 2011 Spanish Super Cup.

His latest celebration also came days after he made contentious comments about the Negreira case. Mourinho compared the affair with the Calciopoli scandal and said it could become one of the biggest refereeing corruption scandals in the world.

The issue had already attracted attention before his return to Camp Nou, but his reaction from the technical area brought the focus back to Mourinho as Real Madrid claimed a victory that could prove significant in the title race.

The result leaves Barcelona 3 points ahead of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga, while Mbappe’s late strike ensured Mourinho’s latest appearance at the stadium ended with another memorable scene.