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A reunion between Cristiano Ronaldo and Jose Mourinho is possible after reports emerged that the ‘Special One’ has been invited to join him in Saudi Arabia.
Over the years, the two Portuguese legends have relished and endured a volatile relationship, with their Premier League debuts separated by only one year. And while Ronaldo was shattering records for Manchester United on the field, Mourinho was doing the same from the Chelsea dugout.
Their respective transfers to Real Madrid were separated by a single season, with the two combining for devastating effect in the Spanish capital. However, it wasn’t always smooth sailing at the Bernabeu, as rivalries were common.
Does Ronaldo’s Tension with Mourinho Remain?
In Mourinho’s first season, following a Champions League loss to Barcelona, Ronaldo was asked if he concurred with his methods.
“I do not, but I must adjust to the circumstances,” Ronaldo said, “This is how things are. We have a plan in place.”
And after more than a decade have passed since that icy post-match interview, the two could reunite. According to Corriere dello Sport, Mourinho has been promised a staggering £100 million to move to Saudi Arabia for two seasons.
They claim he will have his pick of managerial positions in the Gulf state, including the national team or a position with Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr. Rudi Garcia presently occupies this position, but given the club’s desire to become a global brand, who could be better than Jose Mourinho in the dugout?
And it appears that Mourinho would jump at the opportunity to manage Ronaldo, now 38, for a second time, characterizing the first occasion as the pinnacle of his illustrious career.
“Ronaldo’s an incredible player. It’s like Zinedine Zidane for the French, there will be no other. He is incredible, he’s a goalscoring machine,” the manager said in ten years ago.
“Coaching him was the highlight of my career,” he said, “He’s the most professional player I’ve ever met. A coach and a player may have their differences at a given time, but it ends there.”
Ronaldo: ‘I Would Put Him At The Top’
And the feeling is clearly mutual, with Ronaldo placing Mourinho on the pedestal as his greatest coach – even higher than Sir Alex Ferguson.
“I would put him at the top, I always say that,” the footballing superstar said, “I have played for so many great coaches, but Jose Mourinho was a big thinker analytically, he went into everything in great detail.”
Ronaldo moved to Saudi Arabia at the beginning of this year, following a very public breakup with Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford. The veteran striker felt disrespected by the new United manager and resigned six months prior to the expiration of his contract.
United personnel believed Ronaldo failed to acclimate to Ten Hag’s methods and stringent requirements. However, footage from the Netflix series The Playbook suggests that his former and prospective future boss would approach the situation very differently.
“If you are not able to coach the big players, you are not able to coach anyone. It is very important for a coach to understand, you are not going to teach them how to play football,” he explained.
“You are not going to teach Ronaldo how to take a free-kick, you are not going to teach Ibrahimovic how to hold the ball on his chest, you are not going to teach Drogba how to attack the first post and score in the air,” the manager said.
“You are going to teach them how to play football, in that team.”
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