Mourinho on Benfica return: When I left Porto... | OneFootball

José Mourinho gave an interview to UEFA channels, where he spoke about what returning to Benfica means. The Benfica coach spoke in light of the upcoming Champions League match, where the Eagles will face Chelsea, one of the clubs he managed in his sports career. He also talked about his relationship with another former member of the Eagles.

"Returning to Benfica is returning to a giant club. I have been fortunate in my career to have passed through many giants – Real Madrid, Inter, Manchester United, Chelsea. I have been through a series of giants, and it's returning to a giant not only on a social level but also on a historical level. Benfica is a giant. And, in that sense, giant club, giant responsibility, giant expectations, everything is giant, but it's the kind of challenge I need," José Mourinho began by saying.

He then focused on the match with Chelsea: "When I left FC Porto, my first European game with Chelsea was Chelsea against FC Porto. With Inter, I played countless times against Barcelona – I had also been at Barcelona, it's something that happens to me. With Fenerbahçe, I played against Manchester United, I played against Benfica, it's something that happens to me. I consider that I have the ability, for 90 minutes, to completely forget where I am, who I'm playing with, in which city I am, this stadium was mine... For 90 minutes, I can have that ability."

"Now, I confess that what precedes is a bit different, and when the game ends, especially when you still have people in that club, in that stadium, when you still have people from your time – sometimes they are no longer players because generations change, but the staff, the people you were used to living with day by day – obviously the human feeling is different. Going now to play Chelsea-Benfica is surely not the same as playing Arsenal-Benfica, they are completely different things," the Benfica coach revealed next.

He concluded with a comment on the new Champions League format: "I am still at a point where I can't say whether I liked the first format more or if I like this one more. It's different. Last year I played this format in the Europa League, and I prefer to say it's innovative. I think it's a competition that must be enjoyed, it must be played game by game, and then, in the end, we'll see."

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