Is Mourinho the right man for Real Madrid?

On paper it is a match made in heaven. In one corner we have Real Madrid, the biggest club in the world, a side with some of the biggest superstars on Earth, men who are used to winning trophies year on year but have recently been usurped by their bitter rivals.

In the other corner we have Jose Mourinho, the self-styled Special One - a born winner who has now won the domestic title in three different countries as well as the Champions League with two different clubs. If there is anyone who has the self-confidence, charisma and the CV to take on the job at the Bernabeu it is Jose.

But will it turn out that way? After all, the manager's chair at Real has rarely been one for men with oversized egos. The internal politics that run through the club often mean managers are dictated to, be it in team selection or signings. Mourinho may not be able to have things is own way. You can expect a fair few players who will be justifying their country's World Cup betting odds in South Africa this summer to turn up in Madrid next season, whether the manager wants them or not.

Secondly there is an issue of tactics. Mourinho has long drawn criticism for his defensive style of play. His suffocating tactics get results, but they don't set the pulses racing. The Champions League semi-final win over Barcelona, which was achieved despite only have 16 per cent of the possession in the second leg, says it all.

At a club famous for its Galacticos - with famous names such as Puskas, Di Stefano,Raul and Zidane having donned the famous white shirt in the past - the fans will not want to see eleven workhorses, squeezing and closing the opposition down. They want to win yes, but they want to win in style.

Such is Mourinho's ego and his determination to see out a managerial master plan to win the league in all the major European divisions before returning to England, a stop off at Madrid was essential if he was to match his sky high ambitions. The football betting will suggest he's in with a chance of glory, but you can never tell with Real.

If he can somehow overtake Barcelona then he will be truly considered a hero in the Spanish capital, just as he is in Milan, Porto and West London. But the fans and players may have to accept a drop in their lofty, and sometimes unrealistic, standards.

And in the utopian World of Real Madrid that just may not be acceptable.