Mourinho Made Ronaldo Cry At Real Madrid – Modric
Croatia and AC Milan midfielder Luka Modric said on Wednesday that Jose Mourinho was such a tough manager during their time at Real Madrid that he once reduced star player Cristiano Ronaldo to tears.
“I saw him make Cristiano Ronaldo cry in the locker room, a man who gives his all on the pitch, because for once he didn’t chase the opposing full-back,” Modric told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
Ronaldo, now 40 and at Al Nassr, was managed by Mourinho at Madrid for three years between 2010 and 2013, and Modric’s recount of the teary moment echoes the account of their famously tumultous relationship — detailed at length in a 2015 biography of Ronaldo by veteran Spanish journalist Guillem Balagué.
Modric played at Real Madrid with Ronaldo for six seasons under Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Zinedine Zidane and Rafa Benitez.
Ronaldo, who played nine seasons for Los Blancos, is a five-time Ballon d’Or winner. With Real Madrid he won four Champions League crowns, three Club World Cups and UEFA Super Cups apiece, two LaLiga titles, a pair of Copas del Rey and two Spanish Super Cups.
Mourinho was the manager who signed Modric from Tottenham Hotspur, and his belief in the midfielder was rewarded. They won the Spanish Super Cup together, and Modric’s impact on Madrid’s future was stamped.
Despite the sometimes fiery moments, Modric described Mourinho as “special.”
“As a coach and as a person. He was the one who wanted me at Real Madrid,” Modric said. “Without Mourinho, I would never have arrived. I’m sorry I only had him for one season.”
Mourinho earned the now infamous moniker after his first Chelsea news conference in 2004, where the newly crowned Champions League winner stated, “Please don’t call me arrogant, but I’m a European champion so I think I’m a special one.”
Modric, the 2018 Ballon d’Or winner, played 13 highly successful seasons for Madrid, helping the Spanish powerhouse to 28 titles: six European Cups, six Club World Cups, five European Super Cups, six Champions League titles, four LaLiga titles, two Copas del Rey and five Spanish Super Cups.
In 2018 he led Croatia to a World Cup final and Real Madrid to a Champions League title.
Modric, now 40, signed a one-year deal with AC Milan back in May after 12 seasons at Madrid.
He added that Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri, has a similar coaching style to Mourinho.
“Mourinho is very direct with the players, but he’s honest,” Modric said. “He treated Sergio Ramos and the new arrival the same way: if he had to tell you something, he’d tell you. Max is like that too: he tells you to your face what’s right and what’s wrong. Honesty is fundamental.”
The Serie A club rehired Allegri as coach earlier this year. Allegri won the Italian league for the first time with Milan in 2011, then guided Juventus to five straight titles from 2015 to 2019.
