Iniesta: El Clasico was 'more like hatred' with Mourinho involved

Andres Iniesta has claimed Jose Mourinho transformed the rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid during his time at the Bernabeu, turning a passionate grudge match into an unpleasant feud.

"You do not have to support Barcelona or Real Madrid to see that this situation was unpleasant and there was a key component in that story which was Mourinho," the Barca legend said, as quoted by ESPN's Sam Marsden.

Mourinho managed Los Blanco for three years between 2010 and 2013. During his time in charge of the capital club, the anticipated El Clasico rivalry took on a darker tone, with games often overshadowed by red cards or other unsavory incidents either on the pitch or on the touchline.

Iniesta believes it was Mourinho himself who damaged the reputation of the fixture, not to mention threatening relations within the Spanish national team.

"Anyone who refuses to see it this way goes beyond radicalism. It got to a point where surreal things happened: it caused a lot of harm in the national team and among teammates.

"We weren't seeing the usual rivalry, it was more like hatred. It went way beyond that. He was cultivating an unbearable environment."

The accusations that Mourinho stoked the fire is nothing new, and the Portuguese boss' time in charge of Real did seem to herald a new, more intense chapter of Spain's greatest rivalry.

In 2011, for example, the Copa del Rey final and a two-legged Champions League tie between the two sides saw the clubs meet four times in 18 days. There were four red cards across those games, as well as several instances of unsporting behavior.

While the grudge has retained its intensity in the years since Mourinho's exit, it has rarely been quite as incendiary as it was during the Mourinho vs. Pep Guardiola era.