“We’ll have to watch MLS, not really my thing”: Mourinho on Messi | OneFootball

José Mourinho, current coach of Real Madrid, was full of praise for Lionel Messi during the press conference ahead of the match against Betis. When asked about the retirement of the Argentina National Team star, the Portuguese manager was emphatic: “Talking about Messi is complicated. There’s not much more to say. There are no words that can describe his quality as a player.” True to his style, the coach added a touch of irony about the future of the “Number Ten” in the United States: “We’ll have to watch some MLS matches, which is not something I like very much, to make the most of these final years.”

The respect of a rival who suffered against him up close

Mourinho’s words carry special weight because he faced him during the most intense period of their careers. Messi left a deep mark on the Portuguese manager’s path, as he endured Barcelona’s historic treble in 2010 and crushing defeats such as the 5-0 at Camp Nou. Thirteen years after their last direct clash on the sidelines, the coach surrendered to his lasting greatness: “He’s one of those you always miss. And he is one of those from our generation.”

His view on Julián Álvarez’s current situation at Atlético Madrid

On the other hand, Mourinho analyzed the situation of Julián Álvarez in Diego Simeone’s team, one of the biggest transfer sagas in Europe. The Portuguese was blunt about how the forward should approach this stage after the transfer window closed: “No one knows him better than Simeone. When a player is not satisfied, when September 1 arrives, you must be satisfied or you won’t play.” To close, he made clear his feeling about the role of the “Spider”

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