Real Madrid legend on Mourinho, recalls Benfica boss: You defend nothing | OneFootball

Marcelo gave many compliments to José Mourinho and recalled the words of the Benfica coach that helped him improve on the field. The former left-back of the Spanish capital's emblem, where he holds legendary status, gave an interview to 'Marca', where he talked about the times he spent with the 'Special One'.

"It was very quick, during a training session. He asked me why I thought I hadn't gone to the 2010 World Cup. I was very young and a bit cocky, and I replied: 'Because the coach didn't want me'", Marcelo began to explain, about one of the first dialogues he had with José Mourinho.

The former Real Madrid left-back - whom Benfica faces soon - continued: "'No, it's because you don't defend at all, but I'm going to help you'. And he helped me a lot to be more aggressive, to better understand the defensive part, and to know that a full-back must defend first and only then attack. I'm very grateful to him".

Then, Marcelo recalled the rivalry between the two great Spanish teams, which, in the 2010s, reached its peak with Mourinho's time at the blancos: "Those were incredible times. Nowadays I talk with Casillas, with Piqué, with Puyol... We killed each other on the field, but it was something we experienced and it was beautiful. The arguments, the problems we had, are things of football, but always with a lot of respect. I tried to defend Real Madrid and they defended Barça. It was an era that will go down in history".

"Difficult. To this day I still look for him. He's too good. I was lucky to play in this wonderful era, with Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and other great players", concluded Marcelo, when asked about what it was like to have to defend the Argentine star in those Spanish classics.

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