Benfica manager Jose Mourinho has distanced himself from a return to the Bernabeu in the home dugout, as his side prepares to face Los Blancos in the Champions League play-off round. With no certainty over the future of Alvaro Arbeloa beyond the summer, it has been suggested that Mourinho could potentially be in the running to return.
Arbeloa took over without a plethora of obvious candidates to replace Xabi Alonso. The name of Jurgen Klopp continues to come up, but the former Liverpool manager has also distanced himself from the job. President Florentino Perez has also held Mourinho in especially high regard too.
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“Yes, you can,” Mourinho responded when asked if it was possible to say no to Real Madrid though, and went on to explain that he had not spoken to Perez since the start of the season.
“The last time was when I signed with Benfica. He told me he was very happy because I had signed for a great club. He didn’t come to the previous match; I hope he’ll be here tomorrow and I can talk to him. We’re great friends,” he told Diario AS.
“I don’t want to fuel stories that don’t exist” – Mourinho
The Portuguese manager continued to sing the praises of all of those at the Bernabeu for the second time in the past month though. Even if he is able to get out of his current contract to join Real Madrid, Mourinho played down the idea.
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“I gave everything I had to Real Madrid. I did some things well and some things poorly, but I gave it my all. When a professional gives everything, there’s a connection that lasts forever. My feeling after these 12 years with the Madrid fans is the same as my own: they respect me and hold me in high esteem. It’s fantastic for me.”
“I don’t want to fuel stories that don’t exist. I have one more year on my contract with Benfica; it’s special because it’s an election period and we wanted to protect a new president. It has an easy-to-break clause. I have nothing against Real Madrid. I would love to eliminate Real Madrid, but I would really like Arbeloa to win La Liga and stay at Real Madrid for many years, because he has a lot of talent. He’s a true Madridista and has a lot of personality.”
Image via Jose Manuel Alvarez Rey/Getty Images
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Mourinho’s time at Real Madrid, despite the love held by some, remains highly controversial too, due to his behaviour on the touchline and in the press room.
“I wouldn’t change anything because I can’t change anything now. I’m happy I gave it my all. It doesn’t matter if you make mistakes, because you gave everything you had. That’s what I tell my players. If you fail, it’s okay, you tried everything. I’m happy with myself.”
Mourinho: ‘Leaving was the best thing for me and Real Madrid’
Similarly, he had no regrets about exiting Real Madrid. Mourinho left after four years with a Copa del Rey and a Liga title to show for his efforts in terms of major honours, but they did manage to slow down Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona.
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“I must be one of the few Real Madrid coaches to leave without being sacked. When you leave of your own accord, you have nothing to envy. I left with a clean conscience. I’ll never forget what the president told me when I left: ‘Now comes the easy part, the hard part is over.’ My family is the most important thing to me, and that was the best thing.”
“It was also the best thing for Real Madrid. After difficult, intense, and turbulent years, everything Real Madrid has done since has only brought me joy. I don’t feel like I’m part of anything; the credit belongs to those who were there. The Estádio da Luz is a stadium of happiness for Real Madrid. They lost, but they weren’t eliminated; they won a Champions League title here.”
Real Madrid will be hoping for revenge over Benfica on Tuesday night at the Estadio da Luz, albeit this time with the second leg in Madrid to fall back on. Kylian Mbappe is set to return to action, but Raul Asencio is missing through suspension. There were positive minutes for Dani Carvajal and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who did not play a part in their first meeting.
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