The secret to Jose Mourinho‘s success lies in his ability to forge tight, long-lasting bonds with his players. Those players take that unified spirit onto the field and translate it into trophies.
He failed to reach many Real Madrid stars with that approach, and it seems Cristiano Ronaldo was one of them, according to Football Espana.
Mourinho recently spoke about an issue he had with Ronaldo, saying the Portuguese superstar had trouble accepting criticism.
“Cristiano Ronaldo may think he knows everything and that a coach cannot help him progress,” Mourinho reportedly told Spanish television Punto Pelota.
“We have had a very basic problem with him — I criticized him at a tactical level and at that time he did not take it very well. He did not accept my words.
“He has played three fantastic seasons for me, I do not know if they are the best of his career, but we have found for him a fantastic tactical situation to express his full potential and to express that in goals.”
Ronaldo played under Mourinho from 2010-13, taking his goal-scoring prowess to new heights and becoming a Real Madrid legend in the process. The Portuguese pair helped the club win three major trophies — the Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup) in 2011, La Liga (Spain’s first division) in 2012 and the Spanish Super Cup later that year.
Mourinho’s ill-fated third season at Real Madrid saw him fall out with a number of senior players, including Pepe, Mezut Ozil, Sergio Ramos and Iker Casillas. Rumors of a problem with Ronaldo were never confirmed, but reports of divisions within the dressing room were rife. These tensions caused results to suffer and Mourinho’s reign at the Bernabeu to come to an infamous and premature end.
Ronaldo’s status as one of the game’s leading lights makes Mourinho’s latest revelations unsurprising. Most superstars have big egos and don’t take kindly to criticism — especially if it is delivered in a particular way.
However, Mourinho’s latest words cast doubt on a potential reunion with Ronaldo at Chelsea. The 50-year-old will be presented as Chelsea’s manager on Monday, and it was thought he would try to buy an unhappy Ronaldo from Real Madrid as one of his first orders of business. Comments like these will only grind the gears of the transfer rumor mill. It’s doubtful that Mourinho would try to work his magic on a player who was resistant to his spell in the past.
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