DERMOT CORRIGAN: Alvarez comments force Mourinho on the defensive

You might think that Barcelona and Real Madrid’s Champions League semi-final first legs — with Barca at Bayern Munich tomorrow, and Madrid facing Borussia Dortmund away the following evening — were enough for both clubs to focus on for the moment.

But the last week has seen top figures at La Liga’s big two look far beyond even May 25’s competition final at Wembley.

Wednesday brought a ‘revelation’ that Madrid boss Jose Mourinho had already decided to leave the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. The apparent bombshell came from Manuel Alvarez, president of Canillas, the local youth club where Mourinho’s son plays. He told Spanish radio station COPE that, while giving a seminar to a group of local youth coaches, the Special One had let slip he would be working elsewhere next year.