Former Benfica player reveals club switch was down to José Mourinho... | OneFootball

Nemanja Matic recently recalled his time at Roma and revealed that he only moved to the Italian capital because of José Mourinho - who joined an exclusive group at Benfica. The Serbian midfielder, who now plays for Sassuolo, does not have fond memories of the management of the Italian club and shared everything about that period.

"I have to start from the very beginning. I left Manchester United and chose Roma because it was a project where I could stay for a couple of years. I received interesting offers with three-year contracts and I was no longer a young player," he began, as quoted by the RomaPress portal.

The former Benfica player continued: "Then Mourinho arrived at Roma. I didn't accept immediately because it was only a one-year contract, but after talking to Mourinho and his agent... Especially because of him, I chose Roma and they told me: 'Sign and if everything goes well, we'll talk about a renewal in January.' (...) I think I played well and was happy, but in January no one came to my door."

"I made the contact myself and they told me that if I played 50% of the games, I would automatically renew. But that didn't happen. It was something agreed upon the previous summer. So, I felt I was constantly being judged, but I was an experienced player and deserved the utmost respect. In February, I told them I would give my best for the team until the end, but that I would leave the following season," explained the Serbian midfielder, who also worked with José Mourinho at Chelsea and Manchester United.

He finished with a few words for the Italian club's fans: "I decided to leave for myself. I gave everything. The problem is people who promise things and don't keep them. I missed stability and didn't feel comfortable with that. I did my best and felt good on the pitch. I felt the affection of the fans, who respected me more than the club did."

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