Jose Mourinho details experience of managing Cristiano Ronaldo during his stint at Real Madrid

Former Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho opened up about managing Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo in his stint with the Spanish giants. The legendary head coach played down the importance of one player, instead emphasizing the importance of the team as a whole.

When asked about his experience of managing Ronaldo, Mourinho said (via Portuguese outlet Bola na Rede):

"I often say that I don't coach players, I coach teams. I also say that I don't train players, I train young people who play football. When you're talking about a super player, you can't teach that player how to take a free-kick."

"I coached teams that had some of the best players in the world and my job was more to put together a puzzle and create an environment where they could express themselves in the best possible way. I've also had teams, more recently, where the players weren't so good and then it was more important and then you have to pay more attention to the individual."

Mourinho was appointed as Real Madrid manager in the summer of 2010. He had had successful stints with Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan previously, achieving great success both domestically and on the European stage.

With Los Blancos, he had a sensational 2011-12 campaign winning La Liga with a record points tally (100) and record amount of goals scored (121). He also won the Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana once each in his tenure.

Cristiano Ronaldo sends message to Real Madrid star who announced retirement

Kroos announced that he would leave football at the end of the season.

Cristiano Ronaldo wished former Real Madrid teammate Toni Kroos well after the German announced that he would be hanging up his boots at the end of the season. Taking to Instagram, the Portuguese superstar lauded the midfielder, saying:

"(Thanks) for everything, Toni! What an honor to share the pitch with you. All the best for the future!"

With his contract with Los Blancos expiring in the summer, the 34-year-old has made the decision to retire from professional football. His final game for the side is set to be the Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund. He will also feature in the 2024 Euros in his home nation, having been recalled into the national setup by manager Julian Nagelsmann.

Ronaldo and Kroos spent four years together at Real Madrid after the midfielder joined from Bayern Munich in 2014. They enjoyed a successful stint together, lifting the Champions League thrice and La Liga once.