Mourinho: 'If I had stayed at home... I would have earned more than working at Benfica' | OneFootball

José Mourinho claimed he would earn more doing nothing at home then returning to Portugal to manage SL Benfica.

The manager was speaking ahead of his side's game against Rio Ave on Tuesday and was asked about the financial aspect of his swift return to football after his spell in Turkey.

"If I had stayed at home until the end of the season, I would have earned more than working at Benfica," Mourinho said.

"I would stay with my family in London, go to the Algarve for some trips... I would earn more there than at Benfica. I really like to work. I miss fighting for a title. I couldn't do it either at Roma or at Fenerbahçe. Being at home is not for me. I wanted to test myself. One day being good, another being terrible... it feeds me. In this case, the truth is just one: if I had stayed at home until the end of the season, I would have earned more than working here."

Mourinho went on to talk about how his team have been doing so far: "I like going to stadiums, hidden, discreet. I have been to Luz over the past few years. Whether you like it or not, you learn the songs. And that has to be the atmosphere.

"I don't believe there is a Benfica fan who doesn't want to win. There must be support during the game and at the end. At the end of each game, Benfica either wins or doesn't win. It always comes out exhausted. People fit into this behavior. People do not identify with the way we lost to Qarabag."

Mourinho won his first game as manager of the Portuguese giants on Saturday, a 3-0 win over AFS.