José Mourinho has revisited some of the most contested chapters of European football’s recent past, using a wide-ranging conversation to reflect on the Manchester City corruption case, Barcelona’s Negreira investigation and his own years in Madrid. Speaking with the perspective of a coach now in his sixties, the Portuguese said the game may still be waiting a long time for the final legal outcomes.
Mourinho treated the prospect of a Manchester City verdict with dry humour, suggesting that football’s major cases rarely end with the first ruling. “I would rather laugh a little,” he said, arguing that a decision will arrive but will likely be followed by an appeal. He added that those of his generation would need “the good fortune to still be here” when a definitive conclusion is reached.
The former Real Madrid manager then connected the discussion to the Negreira case, which concerns payments made by Barcelona to companies linked to José María Enríquez Negreira, the former vice-president of Spain’s refereeing committee. Mourinho said he had lived through an important part of that period while in the Spanish capital, before the matter became public knowledge.
“It happened,” Mourinho said, repeating the point for emphasis. “I left afterwards, and now everyone knows.” He said he did not see himself as the issue, but instead spoke of a recurring misfortune whenever he arrives at certain clubs. Mourinho also recalled experiencing similar circumstances in Turkey after a major scandal there.
Madrid ties remain intact
For all the legal and institutional subjects, the interview also returned to the personal links Mourinho retains with Real Madrid. He said his relationship with president Florentino Pérez has continued since his departure from the club, with regular contact never having disappeared.
Mourinho described the speculation around his Madrid appointment as something that began before there had been any approach. At the time, he said, he was at Benfica, close to home for the first time in two decades and content with a club he considers deeply special. Benfica needed major change, he felt, and he expected to see out his three-year agreement there.
Rumours nevertheless began to circulate as Real Madrid’s coaching situation evolved. The club had changed manager in mid-season before Álvaro Arbeloa arrived, and uncertainty over results fuelled the noise. Mourinho insisted that nobody had contacted him when the talk started, and that he regarded it simply as gossip. His focus, he said, was entirely on Benfica and its future.
He also spoke warmly, and jokingly, about Carlo Ancelotti’s continuing attachment to Madrid. Mourinho said Ancelotti recently visited Valdebebas because he wanted to speak with players including Vinícius Júnior, Rodrygo and Éder Militão, asking how they were progressing. Endrick was injured at the time, Mourinho said, and Ancelotti sought permission to come to the training ground.
Mourinho portrayed his fellow veteran coach as incurably devoted to the club, teasing him that he was “sick” for wanting to remain so close to his former players. He added, with affection, that images of Ancelotti seem to greet him everywhere along the corridors: “Carlo is great,” Mourinho said, before joking that he was tired of seeing his photographs all around the building.
