Jose Mourinho has criticised the idea of taking a sabbatical from football, saying he regards a year away from coaching as a sign of weakness in comments that appear to refer to Pep Guardiola’s decision to leave Barcelona temporarily.
Mourinho made the remarks in an interview for the Netflix documentary The Special One. His comments have renewed attention on the long-standing rivalry between the Portuguese manager and Guardiola, which was particularly intense when Mourinho was in charge of Real Madrid and Guardiola managed Barcelona.
Guardiola took a year away from the dugout after leaving Barcelona in 2013 before returning to management with Bayern Munich. Mourinho said he could not imagine taking a similar break and insisted he intends to remain involved in football for many years.
“I cannot even imagine when I will stop working in football. I say I will keep going for another 10 years, but perhaps it will be more than 10 years. It is very interesting. I want to win more trophies, to do so in places where I have never coached, and to do so again in places where I have already been successful.”
Mourinho, who has enjoyed success at a number of clubs during his managerial career, said his identity remained closely connected to the atmosphere of football stadiums.
“My world is walking into a football stadium with 50,000 or 90,000 fans in it. I have experienced a crowd of 100,000 fans, and that is my world. Without football, I would feel that something was missing. But I don’t think this is an obsession. I don’t see it as an obsession. Once you reach to a certain level, you just want to stay there forever.”
The former Real Madrid manager then expressed his opposition to the notion that coaches need time away from the game to recover.
“Some people need a year to recover, and that is something I hate. I hate that phrase. To me, a year of recovery means weakness. Don’t talk to me about a sabbatical year. I’ve never needed a break, and I’ll rest after I’m dead.”
Mourinho and Guardiola’s rivalry dates back to their time in Spain, when their teams competed for domestic and European honours. Their contrasting styles and repeated meetings made the contest between Real Madrid and Barcelona one of the most closely watched rivalries in football.
Guardiola left Barcelona in 2013 after four years as manager and subsequently spent a season away from coaching before taking charge of Bayern Munich. Mourinho’s latest comments suggest that the differences between the two managers extend beyond their tactical approaches and remain a source of debate years after their most intense confrontations.
