FORMER BRAZIL STAR Kaka claims that Jose Mourinho is partly responsible for his disappointing spell at Real Madrid.
The Ballon d’Or winner joined Madrid from AC Milan for €67 million in 2009, becoming the second most expensive player ever, but saw injury problems blight his stay at the Santiago Bernabeu.
When he regained fitness, Mourinho had taken over as head coach and often left Kaka out of the starting XI.
Kaka believes a combination of the two factors ruined his chance of becoming a star for Real, with Mourinho preferring Mesut Ozil to him in attacking midfield.
“The problem in Madrid was continuity,” Kaka told SporTV. “First, it was because of the injuries. The first year I had a hip problem. I pushed to reach the World Cup and then I had an adductor injury.
“After the Cup I have a knee operation and I’m out for six months. And when I return I have Mourinho. My problem in Madrid was continuity.
“First for the physical issue and then for the choice of the coach. I spent three years trying to convince Mourinho that he could give me opportunities. But it was his choice, it was beyond my reach.”
Despite the disagreements between the two during their time in Madrid, Kaka says that he has forgiven Mourinho and understands why he left him out of the lineup.
“There is no problem between us,” he continued. “I was in Manchester for a sponsorship gig and I stayed at the hotel where Mourinho lived and we talked for two hours.
“At some point we had a misunderstanding because I believed that I had to play and he believed that I did not. But they were respectful disagreements.
“I never rebelled and told him ‘I’m leaving here’, nor did I go before the press to complain. I told him: ‘It’s your choice, but I think you could have other options because I think I should have a chance to play. Now, you must choose.’
“He had no arguments. He told me he was not going to play because the position was for Ozil. I thought I could contribute.
“Mourinho is really what you see in the cameras. He has his explosive moments, but he’s a very smart guy. What people see at press conferences is all prepared and planned and knows exactly what they are going to say.
“The problem I had with him was because of his choices. I thought he was wrong. But the team worked. We won a league and we reached the Champions League semi-finals.”
Subscribe to our new podcast, Heineken Rugby Weekly on The42, here:
I blame mourinho for Brexit, Trump, and global warming.
@Eamo world class Dunphy: Just because 97% of scientists agree that Trump exists doesn’t mean he does.
A lot of the teams went to had top quality stars in their panels , so it’s obvious some big name was going to suffer, he was successful and got breaks along the way . I would watch with interest if he took over at a club that needed turning around on a modest budget ! But I don’t think a club like this would take the chance on him , or he with them , without a money chest behind them .
@Tricksy: like Porto for example? Or Inter Milan? Oh wait
@Anthony: you miss my point Anthony , he got lucky with Porto , 1 all v Utd in ex time to go on and beat Monaco . Porto were top of their domestic league for years , before Jose came . Inter had world stars in the team . Point : manage a team from a turn around position , limited budget.
@Tricksy: much as I dispise the man he won uefa and champs league with the team he built himself, that will never happen again. A horrible billix tho
No he was just finished