Mourinho talks up global impact of El Clasico
Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho has hailed the global appeal of El Clasico, insisting that the football world always stops to watch when his side faces Barcelona.
Mourinho's side travels to Camp Nou on Monday (AEDT) for a crucial clash at the top of LaLiga, with leader Barcelona currently holding a six-point advantage over Los Blancos.
Madrid heads into the contest on the back of consecutive league victories, having also secured an emphatic 4-1 UEFA Champions League win over RB Leipzig in midweek.
Mourinho, meanwhile, is unbeaten in his past five meetings with Barcelona across all competitions as Madrid manager, winning three and drawing two of those matches.
"Real Madrid-Barcelona means at least two Clasicos per season, sometimes more," Mourinho said ahead of the game, which kicks off at 7am on Monday (AEDT).
"It doesn't matter much who the coaches are; the most important thing is the global dimension of a Clasico, which is unique.
"There are other important derbies in the world of football, but this one is unique, and usually, the football-loving world stops to watch it. Let it be a great match and may we win."
When asked whether the match will be a test to see if his side can win titles, Mourinho was characteristically candid, adding: "No. Madrid with Mourinho wins titles.
"I feel that Real Madrid is like that. But I only seek to give credit to my players when they do well and accept criticism as a coach when we do less well.
"That's the history, not only of Real Madrid but of practically all coaches in the world. Players win matches, and coaches lose them; that's a bit of our life."
