Mourinho left Kaka on the bench for Wednesday night's Copa del Rey final against Barcelona at Mestalla, but recalled the former AC Milan forward as Madrid returned to the scene of their cup triumph this evening.

Kaka was part of a new-look team for Mourinho and produced a scintillating performance alongside Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain in attack.

The Brazilian scored two and set up two as Madrid raced into a 6-1 lead before conceding two goals late on.

And the 29-year-old showed no ill-effects from his persistent injuries as he completed 90 minutes at Mestalla.

"This will be great for my confidence," the player said after the game.

"A team that produces a performance like that after winning the cup shows that we want to finish the season strongly - we are a fantastic group."

But Mourinho opted to focus on the Brazilian's individual contribution.

"He played an absolutely fantastic game," the Portuguese said.

"It's fantastic for his confidence and we now have six or seven games to play in which we will need Kaka at his best."

Madrid saw Barcelona beat Osasuna 2-0 later in the evening to maintain their eight-point lead at the top of the Primera Division table with just five games remaining.

That means the Champions League is probably the club's only realistic hope of further silverware this term, with a mouthwatering semi-final tie to come against Barca in two games over the next 10 days.

Mourinho believes Kaka will have a role in those games and says the Brazilian will be a big part of his plans for next season.

"He will keep growing and whatever he does this season will help him to get back to his very best for next year," he said.

Mourinho was also delighted with the collective performance from his side.

"We have just won a title and today, in a competition in which we aren't favourites, the team played spectacular football," he said.

"After experiencing such unforgettable moments (like on Wednesday), it's not common to go and play such a complete match, so I am very happy."

And the Portuguese has promised his side will go on to bigger and better things next term.

"I always say that the second season should be better than the first because the players have learnt from the coach, the coach has learnt from them and the coach has also learnt more about a competition which is new to him," he said.

Mourinho also hopes to hang on to all of his top players for next season.

"We shouldn't make any (real) changes to the squad; just the usual - two or three new players," he said.