Benitez cools Mourinho war of words

Rafael Benitez has opted to play down the reignited feud between himself and Jose Mourinho, instead looking only to "speak about football" at a news conference on Wednesday.

Benitez's wife, Montse, reopened the pair's long-running rivalry when she playfully suggested the Real Madrid boss had been appointed as Carlo Ancelotti's successor to help clear up the "mess" left by Mourinho at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2013.

The Spaniard was also appointed at Inter and Chelsea shortly after the Portuguese enjoyed successful stints with both.

Responding to the comments, Mourinho described Mrs Benitez as "confused", adding that she "needs to occupy her time and if she takes care of her husband's diet she will have less time to speak about me".

Mourinho also accused Benitez of undoing his good work at Inter following their treble success but, when quizzed on Wednesday, Benitez responded: "I'm the Real Madrid coach.

"I like football, I understand football and for this reason I only speak about football. We are here [in China] to prepare for the game against AC Milan and a tour that is going very well.

"I want to talk about the present and the future, which I hope will be here at Madrid for many years."