Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho was asked an unusual question at his Friday news conference: what advice would the Mourinho of 2013 give to the Mourinho of today?
His answer turned the question around, with Mourinho arguing that his present self would be better equipped to advise his younger version than the other way round.
“Good question. Philosophical. Difficult. Listen… The thing is, today’s Mourinho could give advice to the Mourinho of 2013. But the Mourinho of 2013 could not give advice to today’s Mourinho,” he said.
Mourinho then compared the relationship between his past and present selves with the way advice works between generations.
“Do you give advice to your father, or does your father give advice to you?” he asked.
The Portuguese manager said the main lesson he would pass on was the importance of remaining composed. He acknowledged that people might point to his continued disciplinary problems, but insisted that was not the subject of his response.
“You have to be calm. For me, it is now easier to remain calm than it was five, 10 or 20 years ago,” Mourinho said.
“You will say that I continue to receive red cards, but that is not what I mean.”
Mourinho linked his thoughts on composure to the demands of working in football, describing the sport as a constant presence rather than something confined to match days.
“Football is 24 on seven. If you multiply it, it amounts to many hours of football. It is during those hours that you need to be calm,” he said.
The exchange came during a news conference in which Mourinho was confronted with a question about the difference between his outlook in 2013 and his approach in the present day. Rather than offering a specific tactical or professional recommendation, he focused on the value of experience and the greater control he believes comes with it.
His response suggested that the passage of time has changed the way he deals with the relentless nature of football. Mourinho said he finds it easier now to preserve his calm than he did five, 10 or 20 years ago, while also recognising that his record of red cards could be used to challenge that claim.
The answer maintained the contrast at the heart of the original question. Mourinho’s earlier self, he suggested, did not possess the perspective needed to advise the manager he has become. The current Mourinho, by contrast, could look back and offer guidance to the version of himself who was at Real Madrid in 2013.
Real Madrid will play away against Espanyol on 22 August.
