José Mourinho, manager of Real Madrid, has been honoured as the Manager of the Month for October by La Liga. His team achieved an outstanding run of undefeated play in the Spanish top division.
The Portuguese strategist beat out Diego Simeone of Atlético Madrid and Pellegrino Matarazzo of Real Sociedad to win the coveted individual award for the first time this season.
Undoubtedly, Mourinho’s finest hour came at the beginning of the month when Real Madrid defeated Barcelona in the El Clásico, handing Hansi Flick’s squad its first league loss of the season.
The much-anticipated matchup occurred on October 25 at the Spotify Camp Nou, and Real Madrid emerged victorious with a score of 2-1 in the tenth round of La Liga.
With goals in the 41st and 87th minutes, Kylian Mbappé was the game-winner for Real Madrid. In the 61st minute, Raphinha scored Barcelona’s lone response, bringing the score back to 1-1.
With the loss, Barcelona’s incredible start to the season came to an end; they had won their first nine league matches, enhancing the significance of Mourinho’s triumph.
The race for manager of the month in October was anything but easy, though, since Simeone had a fantastic month with Atlético Madrid as well.
After leading his club to a 2-1 victory over Alavés, the Argentine went on to secure two more narrow triumphs, this time by a score of 1-0, against Espanyol and Deportivo La Coruña.
In the same time frame, Matarazzo was just as impressive while playing for Real Sociedad, guiding his team to three league triumphs. He led his squad to a 3-2 victory over Deportivo La Coruña, a 5-2 victory over Málaga, and a 2-1 victory over Levante.
In the end, Real Madrid’s results—especially their historic victory over Barcelona—gave Mourinho the nod, even though all of the finalists had stellar records.
With wins over Sevilla and Villarreal in October, Real Madrid also kept their impressive momentum going. Prior to their pivotal Clásico victory, they cruised to a 1-0 victory against Villarreal and a 4-1 thrashing of Sevilla.
In the race for La Liga supremacy, Real Madrid’s triumph over Barcelona was crucial since it widened their lead over Barcelona to three points and solidified their position atop the standings.
Therefore, Real Madrid’s continuous league results and a statement win over their main local rivals were recognised with Mourinho’s prize.