Farewell to the players? Mourinho clarifies Estoril-Benfica finale | OneFootball

One of the moments that marked the end of the match was the way José Mourinho said goodbye to his players. However, in the quick interview area, where he had already addressed his future, the Benfica coach explained that it was not something definitive, admitting that he only said goodbye to those going to the World Cup and those going on holiday.

"I said goodbye to the players in a very general way, wishing the best World Cup to those who are going and happy holidays to those who are leaving. I have no problem telling them what I told them, I am tremendously proud of that dressing room and of Benfica at Seixal. It is a tremendous group. There are only good things about the people who work there. There is discipline, empathy, the joy of working together, there is dignity and respect for Benfica. Third place says nothing about the work that was done," he began by saying, in statements to Sport TV.

"It hurts my heart when you hear an insult from the stands, it hurts me for the boys, whose only honour to take home is the fact that they are the only unbeaten team in Europe. That says a lot about this team. The respect for the fans, for the club. One thing that felt a lot of things, and they held on until the end. Nobody here is stupid, there are some who like to make others look stupid, but nobody here is stupid. I feel much more for them than for myself. These people are good. Benfica has a clean Seixal, a good Seixal. It has many good conditions to be happy again, but that is not enough," he added.

"It depends on the offer and on what they want from me. We are not talking about one euro more or less. What they want from me, whether I am in a position to give it, the work profile they may ask of me. But, by right, I want to have my time to talk, analyse and decide what is best for me," pointed out the Special One.

"At the end of the day, Benfica is Benfica. What I feel for Benfica can no longer be hidden. I spent my whole career hiding it, now I can no longer hide it. But my career is my career. But I repeat: Seixal is ready to go after titles. Seixal is," concluded José Mourinho, at the end of the match against Estoril.

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