Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid team is one of the most underrated sides of the 21st century.While the Portuguese's time at the Bernabeu might have crashed and burned with player fallouts aplenty in the end, there's no denying that he built a legendary outfit in the Spanish capital.Besides, the fact that Mourinho led Los Blancos to a record-breaking La Liga triumph in the 2011/12 season is made all the more incredible by the fact they were facing Pep Guardiola's Barcelona.

Mourinho's Real Madrid

Yes, there might have been the humiliating 5-0 defeat in El Clasico during his first season, but the 'Special One' was able to get the better of one of the greatest teams ever in his sophomore year.

Making Spanish top-flight history at the time with 100 points and 121 goals scored, there has arguably never been a more attacking and entertaining team to play under Mourinho's stewardship.

And while there were many factors behind the success of Mourinho's Real side, the team's vicious potency from counterattacks undoubtedly played a key role in their attacking excellence.

The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Gonzalo Higuain, Angel Di Maria and the speedster that is Jose Callejon all made Los Blancos a force to be reckoned with on the break.

"Rangnick is struggling at Man Utd" (Football Terrace)

The most lethal counterattacks

In fact, that's so much the case that footage of Mourinho's Real causing havoc with counterattacks has once again done the rounds on Twitter despite the best part of a decade passing.

Highlighting a stunning goal from a Champions League clash with Ajax, it shows Real launching an astonishing counterattack from one penalty area to the other in less than 15 seconds.

And it certainly wasn't a case of the ball being lumped the length of the pitch either because some of the interchange involving Mesut Ozil and Benzema smacks of their Barcelona contemporaries.

So, strap yourselves in and try not to blink as you enjoy the glorious footballing sight that was Mourinho's Real Madrid side mastering the art of the counterattack down below:

One mistake, one concession of possession and you were done for. Night, night. See you later.

Montage of their greatest counterattacks

There's something distinctly un-Mourinho about one of the Portuguese's sides showing so much attacking gusto and willingness to throw the kitchen sink at their opponents.

And rest assured that the Ajax example is merely one case of the 2010-2013 crop of talent at Real bursting from end of the pitch to the other at breakneck speed, so check out a full montage here:

So, sure, Guardiola's Barcelona might ultimately have been the superior side and got the better of Mourinho more often not, but underrate their impact on the modern game at your peril.

Yes, they broke La Liga records and yes, they changed Mourinho's typical style of football, but it's their lethal counterattacks that will live longest in the memory as a truly deadly sporting weapon.