Benfica coach Jose Mourinho said his Real Madrid counterpart, Alvaro Arbeloa, was like a child to him, in the run-up to their Champions League meeting in the final round of league phase matches.
The veteran Portuguese manager, known for his fiery temper and fierce tongue, coached Arbeloa at Madrid during his time at the helm of Los Blancos between 2010-2013, and had a strong relationship with the former defender in a dressing room that was splintering.
After a comment from Mourinho last week about being “surprised” when inexperienced managers lead big European clubs was viewed as a dig at new Madrid coach Arbeloa, he said he would never try to make life hard for his former charge.
Former Inter Milan coach Mourinho said in Italy that his words were also being taken as criticism of the appointment of Cristian Chivu at the Serie A side last year.
“There is one problem – both Chivu and Arbeloa are my children, they are not just ex-players of mine, but they are special,” Mourinho told a news conference on Tuesday.
“Speaking about Alvaro, I would say that he is one of the players – from a human point of view, from a personal point of view, and personal empathy – he is one of my favourites of them all.
“Obviously, he is not the best player who has played for Real Madrid, but he is certainly one of the best men who has played for me at Real Madrid.”
Mourinho said he was surprised when he himself was offered the chance to lead Benfica at the beginning of his coaching career in 2000, so his words could not be taken as an insult.
“The last thing I would do would be to put pressure on him,” explained the 63-year-old. “I want everything to go well for him, and for him to have a fantastic career as a coach.”
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