Jose Mourinho chases a 'special' win to end Inter's long wait

FOR Jose Mourinho, Real Madrid can wait for now. The Special One, tipped to become the Spanish side's coach next season, has a more pressing engagement to keep him occupied tonight – something special enough to mention his favourite word four times in one sentence.

Internazionale have not been the champions of Europe since winning back-to-back trophies in 1964 and 1965, when Angelo Moratti – the father of current Inter president Massimo Moratti – ran the club. Mourinho understands the significance of the 45-year drought to Moratti and Inter's fans and is determined to deliver them the Champions League trophy by beating Bayern Munich this evening.

"It is different for the fans, because 40 years are 40 years – many of them weren't part of this world yet," Mourinho said. "Inter has a history of successes – but very long ago – so I can imagine that if we win it will be special for a special club, for a special president and special supporters."

With speculation of his imminent move to Real Madrid running rampant, Mourinho also resisted attempts to crown him King Jose, insisting that nothing else is on his mind for now besides tonight's final.

"This story about Madrid isn't a problem for me," Mourinho told a packed press conference at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium – his likely future home. "Whoever plays the final of the Champions League can't think about anything else. It's too big to think about anything else and that's the truth."

Mourinho won the 2003 Uefa Cup and 2004 Champions League with FC Porto and two English Premier League titles with Chelsea, and is considered arguably the best coach in football these days. Perhaps that's what prompted a Russian journalist to present Mourinho with a crown during the pre-match press conference.

Mourinho smiled at the gift, although he didn't put it on. "Maybe tomorrow," he said. Having already won Serie A and the Italian Cup this season, Inter can become the first Italian club to achieve a treble, and Mourinho is doing his best to keep his players focused.

"I'm thinking about a dream, not an obsession," he said. "I want my team to play for a dream, not an obsession. Then after the game everyone can move on with their lives, not just me. Some will go to the World Cup, some will go on vacation to the seaside, some will go to the mountains, some will stay and some will go. But tomorrow when the game ends I won't be able to say it's my last game with Inter."

Mourinho added that he would take "four or five days after the final to decide his future. "But when the game ends tomorrow I won't be able to say," he added. "When I won with Porto I knew before that I would leave for Chelsea, but right now I can't say."

While he has never been comfortable with Italian football, Mourinho does have a solid relationship with Inter, and there is one post-match image he's dreaming about. "I would like to see Moratti cry with the cup in his hands tomorrow," Mourinho said. "I would like to see a photo like the one of his father with the cup at Appiano Gentile (Inter's training facility). It would be something incredible for the entire Moratti family and I would really, really like to offer my small contribution to make something fantastic happen for them."

Bayern Munich will however provide a stern test for Inter's ambitions. Bayern may have needed time but they have eventually come around to the methods and systems of Dutch coach Louis van Gaal, who has a chance to win a second Champions League final.

Fifteen years after guiding Ajax to the European trophy, Bayern Munich overcame a poor start to the season to embrace the ideas of Van Gaal, who has taken the German club to the verge of a historic treble. "From day one the team tried to understand me and this is what I said in my first press conference that, yes, this is indeed difficult because it's a specific way of training not only body but mind, and that takes time," said Van Gaal. "At Ajax it took six months for the team to understand my philosophy."

Inter Milan striker Samuel Eto'o has identified Mark van Bommel as Bayern Munich's "decisive weapon".

Eto'o has first-hand experience of Van Bommel's talent having played alongside the Dutchman at Barcelona, and warned the Bayern captain could prove the difference at the Bernabeu.

"He's a leader, a great player. I've had the opportunity to meet great players throughout my career and he is a real champion," said Eto'o. "He's a warrior, he gives everything. He's a decisive weapon for his team."

Eto'o heads into the match bidding for his third Champions League win after scoring in Barca's triumphs against Arsenal in 2006 and Manchester United last year Eto'o would join Real Madrid legend Alfredo di Stefano as the only players to score in three different European Cup finals if he finds the target tomorrow night, but he played down those stats.

"Those two finals were against English teams," said Eto'o. "This will be a new kind of experience. Let's wait and see."