Luís Figo jibes at José Mourinho after Sporting v Benfica: I wish him... | OneFootball

Present at a press conference on the eve of the Laurens Awards gala, Luís Figo took the opportunity to comment on various current topics in world football. The former Portugal international spoke about José Mourinho, Benfica’s current coach, who has been linked with a return to one of his former clubs, Real Madrid, and about the relationship he maintains with the Portuguese manager.

"José Mourinho is a friend. I have known him in many different roles. He was Bobby Robson’s translator at Sporting, Louis van Gaal’s assistant at Barça and Inter Milan coach. He will always be valuable to any team, wherever he is, because of his quality, his vision of football and his experience.", explained the former winger, a day after Benfica got the better of Sporting in the Lisbon derby.

The 2001 Ballon d'Or winner also assessed Portugal’s chances at the upcoming World Cup. Luís Figo believes the national team lacks nothing to be able to win the much-desired world title. "Roberto Martínez is a good friend and a good person and I hope he does well. We have everything we need to win a World Cup. We are a nation of ten million inhabitants. We play to our strengths, we have a great team, but a World Cup is a long tournament and many things can happen. One bad day can knock us out of the competition", he stressed, also leaving a word for Cristiano Ronaldo: "I always see him in good shape before every tournament".

As for the Champions League final, the former Sporting player predicts that the winner of the competition will come from the semi-final between Bayern Munich and PSG, although that outcome does not match his personal wish: "I would like Atlético Madrid to win, because of the finals they have already lost and because of the friendship I have with Miguel Ángel Gil and Enrique Cerezo".

Throughout his career, he played 919 matches and scored 168 goals. Despite winning countless titles, the standout achievement remains the Ballon d'Or he won on 18 December 2000.

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