Jose Mourinho reveals he struggled to leave Inter for Real Madrid and “relied on Louis van Gaal’s ego” to beat Bayern Munich.
The Coach took them to historic heights in 2010 when winning the Champions League, Scudetto and Coppa Italia.
When his final match in charge, the Champions League Final against Bayern Munich, was played in Madrid, he had already signed for Real.
“I have to tell you something I’ve never said before,” Mourinho confessed in a special interview with Italian online platform DAZN.
Jose Mourinho reveals he struggled to leave Inter for Real Madrid and “relied on Louis van Gaal’s ego” to beat Bayern Munich.
The Coach took them to historic heights in 2010 when winning the Champions League, Scudetto and Coppa Italia.
When his final match in charge, the Champions League Final against Bayern Munich, was played in Madrid, he had already signed for Real.
“I have to tell you something I’ve never said before,” Mourinho confessed in a special interview with Italian online platform DAZN.
“The reason I didn’t go back to Milan after the game is because I thought if I had returned to Milan, I never would’ve gone to Real Madrid.
“I wanted to escape from my emotions. I didn’t even go into the dressing room, as I wouldn’t have been able to control myself.
“I had made the decision to go to Real Madrid. I hadn’t signed the contract yet, but I had decided. I’d already said no to them twice and a third time was impossible.
“I just knew and feared that returning to Milan to celebrate the Champions League would make me change my mind. That was my mistake.
“I do miss my players. You can’t turn back time, we cannot experience again those moments, but I do miss them. I will say one thing remains: they are my friends and I am their friend. That is how I see them: friends forever.
“We won three trophies in the span of 15 days and Diego Milito scored four goals. Historic.”
Mourinho had some harsh words for then-Bayern Munich Coach Van Gaal when describing the Champions League Final triumph.
“I knew Van Gaal, I knew that his ego would be an advantage for me and I relied on that. The Final was won before we even set foot on the pitch.
“We achieved something unique and that gave me an eternal bond with this club and this country. Inter in 2010 weren’t just the greatest Inter in history, but also the team with the greatest achievement in Italian football history.
“Those players and I are icons. Italy made football history and we reached its pinnacle.”