Jose Mourinho
Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has claimed he ‘gave more to Real Madrid than any club’ that he managed ahead of the UEFA Super Cup clash in Macedonia.
The Portuguese boss took over at the Bernabeu in 2010 before leaving in 2013, having won just one La Liga and Copa Del Rey.
Mourinho left Madrid amid reports of poor relations with key players, such as Iker Casillas, Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos.
But ahead of Tuesday’s European heavyweight clash in Macedonia, Mourinho insists he left Madrid feeling ‘at ease’.
‘I left feeling quite at ease and feeling that I had nothing left to give,’ he said. ‘I can truly say that I gave more to Real Madrid than any club than I ever had before.
‘I left with peace of mind, I left without wanting to take out the dirty linen.’
Mourinho failed to claim the Champions League with Madrid but they have since gone on to clinch three European titles, two of them under current boss Zinedine Zidane.
When asked what the difference was between his former side and the current crop, Mourinho replied: ‘The basic difference is when I arrived they weren’t even top of their [Champions League] group.
‘It was a team that, in spite of all their history, they couldn’t get beyond the quarter-finals – their most important players had never played in the Champions League semi-finals.’