Mourinho involved, ex-Benfica man reveals tough career spell | OneFootball

Nemanja Matic, former Benfica player, only signed for Roma because of José Mourinho, but had a tough time

Nemanja Matic had a tough time at Roma. The former Benfica player explained that he only moved to Italy because of José Mourinho, the current coach of the Eagles, but a contract renewal was promised to him that never happened.

"Let me start from the beginning. When I left Manchester United I wanted a project where I could stay for at least a couple of years. I had interesting offers, for three seasons, and I wasn’t exactly a youngster," the midfielder revealed to Sky Sport.

Matic revealed promises from the Giallorossi that ended up not being fulfilled: "Then Mourinho’s offer came, at first I didn’t want to accept because it was only for one year. But then I spoke with him, with his agent... I stayed for him, for the club, for the fans. They told me ‘sign and, if everything goes well, we’ll talk about a renewal in January’."

"At first it wasn’t easy. Even for my family, we didn’t have the necessary stability. I chose Roma mainly because of José. I think I played well and I was happy. But in January, no one came to talk to me. I contacted them personally and they told me that if I played more than 50 percent of the games, my contract would automatically be renewed at the end of the season, but that didn’t happen either. That was something we had agreed on the previous summer. I constantly felt under evaluation, but I’m an experienced player who deserved more respect. In February I told them I would give everything for the club until the end of the season, but then I would leave," admitted Matic.

"I think I always gave everything, at the end of the season they already knew my decision and I left. The problem was the people who made promises and didn’t keep them. I had no stability and I didn’t feel comfortable with that feeling. I gave my best and felt good. I felt the affection of the fans, who respected me more than the club did," he concluded.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.