"Normally, first there is contact and then the noise starts. Here it was exactly the opposite." José Mourinho said that to A Bola's Portuguese coverage when revisiting the run-up to the Real Madrid talk. He says he was happy at Benfica, lived ten minutes from home and thought he would stay to fulfil the three-year contract.
Benfica before the noise
The key point in Mourinho's account is timing. He says the rumours started when there was no contact at all, and that he initially treated them as just that, a rumour. He also said he had his head at Benfica and was focused on the club's future.
That fits the tone of the rest of the interview. Mourinho described Benfica as a place that needed to take a step up, not as a stopgap before something else. He also said the club were preparing to grow into that next level when the Madrid talk started.
Benfica's results give that claim some weight. They have won five straight games in all competitions, sit second in the Primeira Liga with 16 points from 7 matches and have a +15 goal difference.
The Madrid and Vinícius Júnior angle
Mourinho did not leave the Real Madrid side of the story out either. He said the club had changed coach in the middle of the season before the noise around him began, and that nobody spoke to him.
He also returned to the tie that brought the two clubs together, calling it very tough because of the situation with Vinícius Júnior and Prestianni. Vinícius Júnior has 7 La Liga appearances this season, which underlines why Madrid-related talk still follows him around.
Mourinho's version is straightforward enough. He was expecting to stay at Benfica, the rumours started first, and the Madrid return only lived in public noise rather than any direct contact. That is the detail to keep in mind as the Benfica and Real Madrid stories are discussed again.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
