“[Mourinho’s] position has been undermined by publication of a training-ground argument between the manager and two of his senior players, defender Sergio Ramos and goalkeeper Iker Casillas,” the report says. “The exchange was carried in full by Madrid-based newspaper Marca, which usually serves a cheerleader for the club. Mourinho has not questioned the accuracy of the report, which portrayed him as tetchy and even paranoid.”
The incident reportedly took place after last week’s 2-1 home defeat against rival FC Barcelona in the Spanish Cup. Mourinho confronted Ramos about a mistake that lead to a Barcelona goal, and the Spanish defender’s postgame comments to the media.
Madrid recovered from the loss by beating Athletic Blibao 4-1 in on Sunday. But Mourinho is reportedly so fed up with the moles in his locker room, that he walk away from (arguably) the premier job in world soccer.
“After the game, a leading Spanish journalist, Siro López of AS, told television viewers Mourinho had decided to leave Madrid at the end of the season,” the report adds. “López said his source was one of Mourinho’s closest allies.”
If the report is true, leading clubs around the world would line up to sign Mourinho. The Portuguese tactician has guided teams to league championships in Portugal, England and Italy. He’s also a two-time winner of European soccer’s most coveted prize — the UEFA Champions League. He led FC Porto to victory in 2004 and Inter Milan in 2010.
Have a question for Marcus Kwesi O’Mard? Send it to him via Twitter at @NESNsoccer or send it here. He will pick a few questions to answer every week for his mailbag.