Mourinho wins La Liga Manager of the Month award after perfect October

By Adegboyega Adeleye Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has been named La Liga Manager of the Month for October after guiding the Spanish giants to three consecutive victories, including a 2-1 El Clasico triumph over Barcelona. La Liga announced the Portuguese coach as the October winner in a post on its official X account on Monday, recognising his side’s 100 per cent winning record in the league during the month.

“Real Madrid’s coach is the Coach of the Month for October in #LALIGAEASPORTS,” the post read. Mourinho’s side began the month with a 1-0 victory over Villarreal before thrashing Sevilla 4-1 and defeating Barcelona 2-1 in their first El Clasico meeting of the season. The victory over Barcelona on October 25 was particularly significant, as it handed the Catalan side their first league defeat of the campaign after winning their opening nine matches.

Kylian Mbappe scored twice for Madrid, while Raphinha got Barcelona’s only goal in the encounter. Mourinho emerged ahead of Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone and Real Sociedad coach Pellegrino Matarazzo, who were also nominated for the monthly award. Simeone guided Atletico to three victories during October, beating Alaves 2-1 before recording 1-0 wins over Espanyol and Deportivo La Coruna.

Matarazzo also led Real Sociedad to three league wins, defeating Deportivo La Coruna 3-2, Malaga 5-2 and Levante 2-1. Despite their strong performances, Mourinho secured the recognition after Madrid’s perfect league record and victory over their arch-rivals. The award marks another milestone in the Portuguese manager’s return to the Santiago Bernabeu, where he previously coached from 2010 to 2013.

During his first spell, Mourinho won the La Liga title, Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup. He succeeds Barcelona manager Hansi Flick, who won the September award. Madrid have also maintained a strong position in the title race, sitting second in the standings, three points behind Barcelona. They have suffered two league defeats this season, against Real Betis and Atletico Madrid.