The outspoken manager led the Santiago Bernabeu outfit to their first La Liga title in four years in 2011-12, ending Barcelona’s dominance, but was being rumoured with potential roles at Manchester United and old club Chelsea.

However, Mourinho is happy in the Spanish capital and eager to accept the challenge ahead at Los Blancos.

“I’ve always said this squad is young and that its best years are yet to come,” Mourinho told the club’s official website.

“It isn’t a squad with players on the verge of extinction or playing their final years of top tier football. The club, with its incredible social reach and structure, can adapt to the times and to what we’re trying to do.

“As a manager, I always try to grow and improve. I’ve loved the professional experience I’ve had of working for different clubs in different countries and cultures, and to learn from that while giving my best. I’ve loved that process.

“It’s different for me now because I’m thinking about a club long term, and that club is Real Madrid, which has been more demanding and has forced me to do my absolute best due to its difficulties.

“I’ve had to improve as a coach and a professional. I think it is the perfect challenge for the next four years because you always have to do more when things are hardest. I need these great challenges in the maturity of my career; I need things to force me to be better,” he concluded.

By Gareth McKnight

As we sit here on the day of the Champions League final between Chelsea and Bayern Munich, I decided to take a look back down memory lane at the great European Cup finals of all time. There have been some classic finals in the past decades and we can hope tonight’s showpiece in Munich proves to be another one of those occasions.

Manchester United 4 Benfica 1 (1968)

The Red Devils became the first English side to win the European cup, and what made it sweeter was the fact it was won at Wembley (perhaps a good omen for SAF tomorrow). The game is remembered for European footballer of the year and football writer’s Footballer of the Year, George Best’s ‘wonder’ goal, but it could have been so different for United if goalkeeper Alex Stepney hadn’t saved from Eusebio, when the score was 1-1, when the Benfica forward broke through in the final moments. United sealed an emphatic win in extra time, with ‘that’ goal from Best, another from 19 year old Brian Kidd and another from Bobby Charlton.

Celtic 2 Inter Milan 1 (1967)

Celtic broke Britain’s European duck, in a remarkable game of attack versus defence, with the Scottish club managing 42 attempts on goal, with the Italians only achieving a measly five. Inter Milan took the lead on seven minutes via a Sandro Mazzola penalty, but that is as good as it got for the Italians, with Celtic unleashing wave after wave after attack, which eventually paid dividends with Tommy Gemmell and a deflected Bobby Murdoch shot, sealing the win.

Manchester United 2 Bayern Munich 1 (2000)

Everyone related with the German giants started to celebrate when the clock ticked over the 90 minute mark but 36 seconds later, the party was abruptly halted thanks to a Teddy Sheringham equaliser. Everybody began readying themselves for extra time but somebody forgot to tell Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who scored a dramatic winner on 92 minutes and 17 seconds to clinch the Treble for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side.

Liverpool 3 AC Milan 3 (Liverpool win 3-2 on pens) (2005)

AC Milan fans are still recovering from this historic night in Istanbul, where Liverpool achieved, what was deemed impossible at half time. 3-0 down against a stereotypical Italian defence, the game basically over, but in a mad seven minute spell Liverpool showed us all why we love the beautiful game with Gerrard, Smicer and Alonso completing a sensational come back, to take the game to extra time and eventually penalties, which of course the Merseyside outfit won.

Real Madrid 7 Eintracht Frankfurt 3 (1960)

This cup final is viewed by many as the greatest European final ever, and it is hard to argue against with ten goals, two hat tricks (Ferenc Puskas 4 and Alfredo di Stefano 3) and world record number of fans at Hampden Park (127,261). This victory was Real Madrid’s fifth consecutive European Cup final victory in a row.

Benfica 5 Real Madrid 3 (1962)

Real Madrid were looking to reclaim their European dominance after Benfica had taken the trophy the year before, and with two early goals from Puskas it looked like Madrid would do just that. However within ten minutes Benfica were level again, only for Puskas to complete his hat trick before half time. Benfica managed to draw level in the second half and eventually went on to retain their crown with two goals in four minutes from Eusebio.

Nottingham Forest 1 Malmo 0 (1979)

Just two seasons earlier Forest were playing in the old second division, something of a fairytale football story. If that wasn’t enough of a story for you, UEFA rules meant that Trevor Francis Britain’s first £1 million signing couldn’t play in European matches for three months, which meant the Cup final was the former Birmingham City man’s Euro debut, a huge gamble by Old Big ‘Ead but one that paid off with Francis netting the winner.

Milan 4 Ajax 1 (1969)

This Milan performance destroyed the cliché of Italian football being negative and defensive, with Pierino Prati scoring the last hat trick in a European final to date. This Ajax side would eventually go on to be European Champions three years in a row in the early 1970s.

Real Madrid 2 Bayer Leverkusen 1 (2002)

A very close encounter with Raul opening the scoring after eight minutes for Madrid but Leverkusen’s Lucio levelled the score only five minutes later. It is what happened in the 45th minute that gets this game onto such lists, arguably one of the greatest UEFA Champions League goals was scored by Zinedine Zidane who volleyed a high arcing cross from Roberto Carlos into the top corner from the edge of the area, a goal worthy to win any match, especially a cup final.

Borussia Dortmund 3 Juventus 1 (1997)

Everyone loves an underdog and the German’s duly obliged in giving us a victorious one. The German’s went 2-0 up before Del Piero (who else) pulled a goal back but Dortmund sealed the win with a Lars Ricksen goal, 16 seconds after he came on as a substitute, which was and still is the faster goal by a substitute in the Champions League ever.

Fans may love the summer drama but does the involvement of agents affect the beautiful game in a negative way?

It’s important to understand that agents are not part of the football pantomime. They’re motivated by money and release stories about their clients to promote them, not to delight supporters.

Some argue their antics indirectly add to the soap opera but the truth is it’s not intentional. Comments that imply a player is unsettled do little but raise awareness about their availability.

This doesn’t promote football but instead lines the agent’s pockets.

Given the amount of transfers that are completed away from the public eye, why else would they publicise anything unless there was an ulterior motive?

Fans take most rumours with a pinch of salt. They love reading the stories but they know when it’s pure fantasy and many will not believe a thing until the player has signed on the dotted line.

The agents see it differently. If their client is wanted then they tell the world someone is interested in him so that other clubs double check his availability.

Even though fans find it exciting that their club is chasing new signings, it doesn’t always work out that way. They may love the drama but do they appreciate it when their best player is persuaded to leave?

Sunderland’s Asamoah Gyan isn’t popular in the North East at the moment but was it his idea to look elsewhere for more money?

His agent found him a deal worth four times what he was being paid so he jumped on a plane to UAE. With that in mind is Gyan disloyal or just a businessman?

Fans expect players to understand the club’s ethos and commit themselves to the cause so it’s saddens them to find some are more concerned with wages. Especially since that’s what makes it so easy for them to be persuaded the grass is greener elsewhere.

Naturally footballers can’t be trusted to put loyalty ahead of financial gain. That’s why agents need to be discouraged and a wage cap is only way to stop them destabilising clubs.

Players earn a lot of money, some say too much. Whether or not you believe it’s relative to how much they earn for their club, it’s still a huge amount when compared with the general public.

If football was brave enough to cap wages it would mean that the best players would reach the pinnacle of their earnings and have less reason to seek a move away.

If Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi can earn no more than £100,000 a week, the only reason they would leave their clubs would be for sporting reasons.

It would mean when players like Samir Nasri feel they’re more likely to win trophies at Manchester City than at Arsenal, they can make that move based on their ambitions and not their wallets.

Fans would even understand their motivations and perhaps not question their defection as vehemently.

The agent will still make his money but that’s unavoidable so at least the players would be in charge. They’d be earning their maximum allowance and would need more of an incentive to uproot their lives.

At the moment it’s far too easy for players to be persuaded to move elsewhere. When a player has a contract, his agent shouldn’t be allowed to speak with other clubs.

Teams have been fined for illegally tapping up players so why is an agent allowed to act as a middle man to facilitate these deals?

Regulations need to be in place to stop situations like this.

The new Financial Fair Play rules should help ease the situation but only because clubs will have less freedom to spend. Agents will still find clubs willing to pay more for their client so the problem will remain.

If the authorities police every facet of the sport then why are agents allowed to disrupt it so freely?

The trouble is they’re hired by the players not the governing bodies. They‘re free to find the best deals for their client so if this is to stop then the powers that be must step in.

If they don’t then fans will be left with a sport so soulless that money grabbing disloyalty will be prevalent forever.

His time at the Santiago Bernabeu has been hampered by a variety of injuries which have seen him spend a large amount of time in the treatment room. This has hindered his ability to nail down a regular spot in the Madrid team and has also seen him fall out of favour with the coach of the Brazilian national team, Mano Menezes. At the start of this year Kaka was performing far from the standards that had come to be expected. His touch had deserted him and he always looked off the pace, a step behind his team-mates. Yet his revitalised form at the end of this season offers hope that he can still make a meaningful contribution in one of the world’s best teams

At 30-years-old he will want to be playing regular first-team football, but the fantastic performances of Mesut Ozil have limited the playing time available to the Brazilian. The only space in which he could fit into the side is on the right wing, a position that Angel Di Maria is yet to truly make his own. But Kaka lacks the pace of past years to be able to perform effectively in a position which demands speed.

Nevertheless, there are certain to be a number of clubs in England who would be interested in securing his services. Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea could all fit him with a regular spot, but perhaps not all in his ideal position.

Recent form suggests he is still a player worthy of a world class club, but he would need to be accommodated in an attacking-midfield position to be worth the lay-out. This would mean a switch in formation for Manchester United who tend to play a flatter midfield. Arsenal also lean towards a horizontal middle trio, but by pushing Alex Song and Mikel Arteta deeper they would create space for Kaka to slot in. Though Gunners fans may worry about the Song-Robin Van Persie link that proved so fruitful this season being broken.

He would fit into both Tottenham and Chelsea’s current formations, and could well be a shrewd acquisition for either club. Whether they will be willing to part with such a sum of money for a player in the latter stages of his career remains to be seen, but Claude Makelele was a huge success when he joined the Blues from Real Madrid at the same age, though his role in the side was far less energetic.

Clearly not all these clubs may take an interest in purchasing the playmaker, and a potential stumbling block could come in the fact that Real would no doubt look to recoup a large amount of the €68.5m that they shelled out to sign him. His injury record will also cast some worries over a potential transfer, but given the chance to shine in the starting XI at any club, Kaka still has the ability to make a difference.

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The Serbia international has been a key man in getting the Blues to the Champions League final, but will miss Saturday’s crunch clash with Bayern Munich due to suspension.

Madrid have lifted the Primera Division title this term for the first time in four years, and Jose Mourinho is eyeing defensive reinforcements this summer to stave off a fight-back from rivals Barcelona.

Mourinho is eager to raid his old club for Ivanovic, and sees the eastern European defender’s versatility as a key attribute in a successful period at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Los Blancos are believed to be ready to offer £15 million for Ivanovic, but Chelsea are thought to value him at around the £20 million mark.

By Gareth McKnight

The Senegal international has been a massive success since moving to the Premier League in a £10 million deal from Freiburg in January, and has scored 13 goals in his first 13 games.

With Alan Pardew’s men still in contention for a top-four finish Cisse has admitted to being happy at the club, but one day wants to play for some of Europe’s biggest teams.

“My long-term aim is to play for the biggest clubs and I want to win the Champions League,” the African marksman told The Sun.

“I have loved Real Madrid ever since I was a little boy.

“But I am happy for now at Newcastle. They are a big club — even though they are not a Manchester United or Manchester City,” he concluded.

By Gareth McKnight

The Santiago Bernabeu side have won the Primera Division this term for the first time in four years, and Jose Mourinho is eager to strengthen his squad in the summer in light of a Barcelona backlash.

With Los Blancos also monitoring Robin van Persie’s contract situation, a move for combative midfielder Song is now on the cards too.

The battler has been one of the standout players in the Gunners revival this term, especially given injuries to Jack Wilshere and the sale of Cesc Fabregas.

Arsenal are thought to be reluctant to sell Song, and are eyeing a central midfield partnership between him and transfer target Yann M’Vila for next term.

By Gareth McKnight

The latest player to be linked with a move abroad is Tottenham’s Gareth Bale, who is believed to be attracting interest from the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and AC Milan, after his comments regarding Spurs’ Champions league hopes.

The Welshman may well turn out to be hit if he swaps the British Isles for the Continent, yet he may want to look at a few examples of home-grown players who have failed to adapt to a new footballing culture.

This list runs through 15 British players who have failed to adapt to the footballing culture of other nations:

Click on Woodgate below to unveil the failed brits abroad

Any I missed? Let me know on Twitter @Alex_Hams

The Stamford Bridge club have been long-term admirers of the Argentina international, who in the bigger games seems to start from the bench, with Jose Mourinho preferring to utilise Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema in attack.

With Higuain not a regular at the Santiago Bernabeu and the Blues eager to find a long-term replacement for ageing and out-of-contract striker Didier Drogba, Roman Abramovich is set to splash the cash once the transfer window reopens.

Higuain has scored 25 goals in 51 games this term with eight assists and has an overall record in Spain of 102 strikes in just 217 outings.

The Sun go on to state that Madrid will look to replace Higuain with countryman Sergio Aguero, who has impressed in his debut season at Manchester City.

By Gareth McKnight

The 19-year-old has impressed over the last 18 months for club Sao Paulo, and has managed to make 11 appearances for the Brazil national side despite his age.

With a number of leading European sides monitoring the attacking midfielder’s situation, it is believed that Sir Alex Ferguson has invited Lucas’ father to visit Old Trafford in an effort to secure a deal for the prospect.

However, Real Madrid have also taken a liking to the talented playmaker, and are also set to offer Sao Paulo a bumper payday for their star man.

It is believed that a £12 million deal would be suffice for the Brasileiro side to part company with their youth product, and that United and Madrid will go head-to-head for his signature.

With Lucas already a feature of the Brazil national set-up there should be no work permit issues for United, who are desperately looking for a long-term successor to ageing playmaker Paul Scholes.

By Gareth McKnight