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Jose Mourinho has long been associated with mind games and unforgettable moments, but the Real Madrid manager was left smiling during his latest media interaction for an entirely different reason. Ahead of a heavyweight Champions League meeting with Inter, the Portuguese coach was presented with a garden sprinkler in a playful reference to one of the most memorable nights of his career.

A bizarre gift for the Special One

In a moment that quickly spread widely online, Mourinho was seen holding a piece of garden equipment during his pre-match press conference at Valdebebas. The Real Madrid boss was addressing reporters before a much-anticipated Champions League opener against his former club, Inter, when Italian journalist Tancredi Palmeri came forward with an unexpected present.

Although the object may have appeared odd to anyone unaware of the background, it was in fact a deliberate and amusing nod to the history linking Mourinho and Real Madrid's great rivals, Barcelona.

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Memories of the chaos at Camp Nou

The present was a direct callback to the second leg of the 2010 Champions League semi-final at Camp Nou. After claiming an impressive 3-1 win in the first leg at San Siro, Mourinho's Inter team produced a superb display of defensive resolve to knock Barcelona out. Even though the Italian side lost 1-0 on the night while down to ten men, they still went through 3-2 on aggregate, bringing Pep Guardiola's hopes of retaining the trophy to an end.

When the final whistle blew, an elated Mourinho famously sprinted onto the pitch to celebrate with his players and the travelling fans. In what was seen as a desperate and heavily criticised effort to stop the celebrations, the Camp Nou ground staff switched on the automatic sprinklers. The move did not work, however, and instead helped create one of football's most iconic images, with Mourinho continuing his celebrations as water sprayed all around him.

Demanding a clinical response

Real Madrid head into Europe after a disappointing domestic result against Real Betis. Mourinho made it clear that he wants his players to turn encouraging performances into real outcomes. "I want to win [tomorrow]. I can tell you that I want to play well, but I don't want to play well as we did against Real Betis and then lose," Mourinho said.

The pressure is significant, particularly because Los Blancos did not make it to the latter stages of the competition in the previous two seasons. Mourinho is intent on restoring the club's European stature, having come back to the club with the clear aim of bringing major trophies back to the cabinet. He added: "We are in a phase where we'll play eight games, and the goal is to qualify [for the next phase]. I want to focus on this single game."