Coach Mourinho accepts 'loss of capital' to lead Benfica

Coach Jose Mourinho shared that he is suffering financial losses when returning to lead Benfica team.

Coach Mourinho's income reduced when leading Benfica - Photo: REUTERS

After his surprise departure from Turkish club Fenerbahce, coach Jose Mourinho has decided to return to his homeland Portugal to take over the hot seat at Benfica, the team he briefly coached in 2000.

This is the first time in 25 years that the famous strategist has returned to work in the Portuguese National Championship.

During a press conference with Rio Ave, coach Mourinho surprised many people when he revealed his financial situation. "If I stay at home until the end of the season, I will earn more money than when I worked at Benfica. It's that simple!" - he said.

Mourinho even added: "If I were in London with my family and took them to the Algarve for a vacation, I would still earn more. In fact, I lost money when I accepted the job of managing Benfica."

The reason for this "loss of capital" is said to be because the "Special One" is still receiving a contract compensation of 9 million euros from Fenerbahce. Meanwhile, his salary at Benfica is only about 6 million euros/year.

This means that taking on the new job has significantly reduced his income. However, the 62-year-old strategist insists that money is not the deciding factor.

"I miss the feeling of fighting for the championship goal. I couldn't do that at Roma, nor at Fenerbahce. Staying at home is not my preference," he shared about his real motivation.

Coach Mourinho also recounted the lightning-fast negotiation process with Benfica president Rui Costa after the team fired coach Bruno Lage after a 2-3 loss to Qarabag in the Champions League.

"When Benfica lost to Qarabag, I was in Barcelona with my wife. Rui Costa called me and asked me straight out if I was ready. I said yes. That was it!"

The Portuguese strategist also revealed that Benfica's two big rivals, Porto and Sporting CP, had also contacted him but he was not very interested.

THANH DINH

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/hlv-mourinho-chap-nhan-lo-von-de-dan-dat-benfica-20250924092454996.htm