Jose Mourinho had everything a coach could have asked for at Real Madrid. Superstar players, training facilities, infrastructure, fans all over the globe, an enduringly appealing brand, and lots of money. But according to the controversial Portuguese manager, they lacked one big thing – Team spirit
He hated the fact that it was a political club, more than it was a footballing one, full of warring factions that was only interested in one-upmanship. He didn't like it at Real.
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In an interview that is a part of the newly released “Jose Mourinho: Up Close and Personal”, he revealed an incident that proved his point. He had got his former Chelsea player and personal favourite Micheal Essien to Madrid on loan to increase the bite and steel in his side. On his 30th birthday – a big day for any man – the Ghanian had invited all his Los Blancos teammates to his bash, but only a few of them had turned up. It was left to his mentor-coach Mourinho to console him. He told Essien that it wasn't anything personal or that this had happened because no one liked him. It was just that they were only interested in themselves – not even that they had anything better to do, it was just pure self-obsession.
It was a time of intense pressure for Mourinho, his great rival Pep Guardiola had been taking Barcelona to uncharted heights – and he lost the Real dressing room very quickly when he picked fights with Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos amongst a host of other.
In 2015, he says Florentino Perez had approached him about returning to the job. His hinted at just how much he detested the club's superstar names -
“President loves me and wanted me to go and clean it, clean s*** people like Pepe, Casillas, Ramos, Marcelo. I told him too late.”
He added that he hadn't thought Rafa Benitez would ever get the job -
“Presi thinks Zidane because of name and status but he did s*** with B team and he is afraid of that risk. Klopp is only one he can bring . . . Rafa no wayyy.”
He was wrong that time, Real got Rafa, but it was an unhappy marriage that lasted little more than 6 months later – having been shunned by players and supporters alike. And Perez ended up turning to Zidane, just as Mourinho had predicted.
