Real Madrid Coach Jose Mourinho talked about his return to Madrid and his relations with his former clubs in an interview with the Italian press. Asked about his meetings with Florentino Perez, the Portuguese coach said, "First there is contact, then when something starts to develop, rumors start in the media. Here it was the opposite. Before, there were rumors when there was no contact, and I was happy in Benfica, which is a special place for me. I heard the rumors and was surprised; I thought they were just rumors and not true. Moreover, things were going well in Benfica. I left Real Madrid 13 years ago, but I always remained close to the club; one reason for this." "It was because Ancelotti had been coach there for many years and I was friends with the president." he said.
Stating that he maintains his ties with his former teams, Mourinho said, "I have a very special relationship with almost all of my former clubs, or almost all of them. Even when I was sent away, I always came out of the situations in a good way. I never said a negative word." he said. Evaluating the separation processes, the experienced coach said, "You know how painful it was for me to leave Roma, but I did not say a single bad word against the club or its owners. When I leave, I do not leave any problems behind. It may not seem like it, but I am a very polite person and I leave with the feeling that it will always be my home. This was also the case in Madrid. Maybe I can only single out Tottenham, but there was a Covid epidemic at that time and I did not have much contact with the fans." he said. Mourinho also mentioned Fenerbahçe and said, "Fenerbahçe has a special place for me, but I only stayed there for 13-14 months." "Returning to Real Madrid is like returning home. I stayed here for 3 years, but thanks to the bond I established with the club, it felt like 30 years." He described his return to Madrid with these words.
Referring to his relationship with Roma fans, the 63-year-old coach said, "My relationship with them was special. I always say this: The day I came to Rome, there were thousands of people and at that moment I did not understand why, as I had not yet won a single point for those people. I thought I did not deserve it, but then you realize that this is Rome. I fought for them, I gave everything. We won a tournament; true, for a club that wins a lot, this may not mean much, but for a club that does not win a lot, the situation is different." made the statement. "In terms of the respect that Roma fans have for you, you seem to be second only to Totti at the moment," he said. "Francesco is untouchable." he replied. Before Real Madrid's UEFA Champions League match against Rome on October 14, I asked Mourinho, "What kind of welcome do you expect at the Olimpico?" The question was posed. The Portuguese coach said, "I don't expect anything. I expect respect. I haven't started preparing for that match yet. I haven't thought about it yet. I need to defend myself, I need to prepare as best as possible to do my job well. And to do my job well, I need to focus, try to forget where I will be, who I will play against. This has happened to me many times before. Rome is clearly different. I need to prepare myself when I go to the stadium, because it is the first time I go there without feeling the support of the passion of the Roma fans behind me. I also need to prepare my players: "The way of experiencing the game in Rome is different. Even though they have played in many important stadiums, they must be prepared for a unique beauty." he said.
Mourinho also made evaluations about the referees and said, "What is your problem with the referees?" "I don't think it's my fault, I think it's unlucky. When I first came to Real Madrid, we experienced the golden years of Barcelona, then I went to the Premier League and now these situations are emerging. Then a similar scandal broke out in Türkiye. I have often experienced similar situations." He responded.
