Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho gave his first external interview since returning to the club to El Chiringuito’s Josep Pedrerol on Tuesday night.
Mourinho on how he has changed since he left
“In many ways. As a person, as a coach… I’ve changed so much…”
Mourinho on what he’s like now
“I’d say I have the same DNA. Obviously, I can’t hide who I am or try to be something I’m not. I’m much more mature, less emotional, and more in control. As always, learning from mistakes. But I don’t regret this or that, because I think that in life, regretting something that’s already happened doesn’t help at all. Learning from experiences, yes. In this job as a coach, I believe that the more experience we have, the more “déjà vu”, the better you become.“
Mourinho on whether that’s boring
“No, I wouldn’t say more boring. I think that in the end, your DNA always wins out. But more boring… not entirely.”
Mourinho on his black eye, another bust-up?
“No, that’s not what happened. It was poor Lacosta, a kid from Castilla, who kicked the ball at me. I was wearing my glasses, and it hit me. But that’s not why he wasn’t called up for the last game.”
Mourinho on the locker room
“I found a locker room eager to win. I found a locker room open to common sense, because all I’ve asked of them from day one is common sense. So far, I haven’t had any situations where I’ve had to be the aggressive leader that I can be. They’ve protected me from that side of me, which is also part of who I am.”
Mourinho on the players protecting him
“Yes, because their behavior is impeccable. I’ve told them that what I ask of them is common sense. Telling them they have to arrive an hour before training, not five minutes before, is common sense. That’s football today. You have to arrive early, you have to eat breakfast as directed by the nutritionist, you have to go to the gym every day to prevent injuries… it’s for your own good. It’s for all of us. All I’ve asked of them is common sense.”
Mourinho on whether it’s easy to follow orders from him
“We can’t rule out the possibility that something might happen during the season, it’s very normal for something to happen. But so far, there hasn’t been a single instance.”
Mourinho on respect for him
“I don’t know. I don’t know if it’s that or the responsibility of working for Real Madrid, which for me is fundamental. I don’t really like the idea of “working at Real Madrid”, I really like working for Real Madrid. From day one, I’ve made that clear at Valdebebas, not just to the players, but to everyone at Valdebebas. We’re here to work for Real Madrid, and right now I’m absolutely thrilled.”
Mourinho on sleeping at Valdebebas
Yes, yes. During my first stint here, I had young children, and we were all here together with my wife. Now they’re 29 and 26 and live in London, and my wife spends a lot of time with the kids. When they come to Madrid, I’m delighted, and when they’re not here, I’m always at Valdebebas. When I leave here at 6 or 7… it’s very convenient to stay here.”