Andres Iniesta has outed Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho as the "instigator" of the unbearable El Clásico tension which emanated in the Spanish national team.
The Catalan legend made the weighty claim that Jose Mourinho is responsible for the bad blood between Barcelona and Real Madrid.
According to the former Barcelona midfielder, Mourinho ignited the ferocious rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid while he was at the helm of affairs from 2010-13.
The brutal relationship caused by Jose Mourinho proceeded in the Spanish national team which caused the declination of the La Furia Roja after their victory at the 2012 European Championships as they crashed out of the 2014 World Cup in the group stages.
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Speaking about the animosity between the two Clasico teams, Iniesta told La Sexta: "You don't have to be for Barcelona or Real Madrid to know that the situation was unpleasant.
"And the key component in that story was Mourinho. Whoever doesn't want to see that, is radical.
"You didn't see the rivalry that always existed before, it went beyond that, you saw hate. That atmosphere developed and it was unbearable.
"The Barca-Madrid tension caused by Mourinho did much damage to the national team [Spain] and the teammates," Iniesta concluded.
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