Benitez: Mourinho not right for Real job
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has questioned whether Jose Mourinho is the right man for the Real Madrid job, after the Inter Milan coach revealed he wishes to take over the reigns at the Bernabeu.
Mourinho declared his intentions to move to the Spanish giants on Wednesday and is widely expected to be offered the job following the conclusion of Inter Milan’s Champions League final on Saturday.
But Benitez has questioned the suitability of the former Chelsea manager for the role.
"I know Mourinho has dreamed a lot of coaching Real Madrid but I do not know if he is the right person to train Madrid," said the Liverpool chief.
"[Manuel] Pellegrini has done a great job and deserves great respect because he's still coach and it's not pleasant to hear talk about who's going to replace you."
Speculation linking Mourinho with Madrid has been rife for months, with the self-proclaimed ‘special one’ admitting recently that his time in Italy has been far from happy after his regular ill dealings with the media.
Mourinho has never been one to hold back his feelings - a characteristic that led to widespread popularity during his time at Stamford Bridge - and his latest declaration looks to have confirmed his exit from the San Siro this summer.
Real Madrid coach Pellegrini has failed to bring any silverware to the Bernabeu this season despite the high-profile signings of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and Xabi Alonso to name but a few, and now looks almost certain to be replaced by Mourinho following the conclusion of Inter’s campaign at the Bernabeu on Saturday.
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
By Joe Brewin
Nick Moore is a freelance journalist based on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. He wrote his first FourFourTwo feature in 2001 about Gerard Houllier's cup-treble-winning Liverpool side, and has continued to ink his witty words for the mag ever since. Nick has produced FFT's 'Ask A Silly Question' interview for 16 years, once getting Peter Crouch to confess that he dreams about being a dwarf.
‘Arteta, Alonso, Emery, me… none of us were physical players – we needed the understanding of the game. That probably helped us move into management’: Premier League boss reveals reasons for natural career progression
‘England have the players to win the World Cup – it’ll be tough for Thomas Tuchel to do a bad job, with the squad he has at his disposal’ Former Three Lions winger backs new boss after gentle qualifying draw