Football
Adriana Garcia 9y

Real Madrid boss Rafa Benitez keeps quiet over Jose Mourinho remarks

Real Madrid coach Rafa Benitez said he "only speaks about football" as he refused to respond to comments from Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho.

On Tuesday, his wife Montserrat Seara joked her husband had to deal with the "messes" Mourinho left at his former clubs.

Benitez spent spells in charge of Inter Milan and Chelsea before moving to Real, and his wife told La Region: "Real Madrid are the third of Jose Mourinho's old teams Rafa has coached. We tidy up his messes."

But early on Wednesday, Mourinho hit back telling reporters in Washington: "The only club where her husband replaced me was at Inter Milan, where in six months he destroyed the best team in Europe at the time.

"And for her to think about me and to speak about me, I think she needs to occupy her time -- and if she takes care of her husband's diet, she will have less time to speak about me."

Benitez, whose side take on AC Milan in the International Champions Cup in Shanghai on Thursday, was asked about Mourinho's comments on Wednesday.

He said: "I'm the coach of Madrid. I like football, I understand football and that is why I only speak about football. We are here to prepare for tomorrow's game, and I just want to talk about Madrid."

Benitez added that he did not want to comment on transfer speculation, saying he would only make decisions about his squad once Real were back in Spain later this week.

#INSERT type:image caption:The two managers have had several public spats. END#

"If I can improve the team, we will improve it, but right now I'm focused on improving each day the players that I have right now," Benitez said. "With regard to departures, we will address it in the same way as with signings. We will make the necessary evaluations when we return to Madrid."

Mourinho and Benitez have engaged in public spats dating back to their initial stint in England, when Chelsea and Liverpool had several notable clashes including the controversial 2004-05 Champions League semifinal.

They did not shake hands after their FA Cup semifinal in 2006 or the Community Shield the following season, and Benitez said in 2007: "We were good friends until we started winning, then he started changing his mind.

"It is the same with all the managers of the top sides. He has very good relationships with managers of teams that normally he beats."

^ Back to Top ^