"I'm not playing at centre-back" - Jose Mourinho not worried about facing Cristiano Ronaldo in Serie A
Newly unveiled AS Roma manager Jose Mourinho has said he is not worried about facing former Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo in Serie A next season.
When asked about facing Cristiano Ronaldo, Mourinho jokingly played down the question, saying he would be in the dugout and not face the five-time Ballon d'Or winner on the pitch.
Mourinho said (via Goal):
"No, because I'm not playing at centre-back. Had I played centre-back, I'd have hit him, but unfortunately I'm not good enough and I'm too old to play against him."
Cristiano Ronaldo has an amazing record against AS Roma. In 12 official meetings, the 36-year-old forward has scored 10 goals.
Cristiano Ronaldo had some of his best seasons at Real Madrid under the management of Jose Mourinho. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner netted a staggering 168 goals in just 164 games at the Bernabéu under Mourinho.
Jose Mourinho has returned to Serie A 11 years after guiding Inter Milan to an unpresidented treble. However, the "Special One" is not a fan of comparing two different managers at the same club. Mourinho said:
"There are some coaches in the club's history that you should never compare to others. At Roma, for example, don't compare Fabio Capello or Nils Liedholm to other coaches. For Inter, never compare others to Helenio Herrera or me, because you can't do that."
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Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer saga continues to rage on
Cristiano Ronaldo currently has only one year remaining on his Juventus contract. Due to his current contract situation, top European clubs including Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United have shown interest in signing the Portuguese superstar.
However, according to various reports from Italy, Cristiano Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes is currently negotiating a one-year contract extension at Juventus.
Juventus' Sporting Director Federico Cherubini has also said there have been no signs from Cristiano Ronaldo that he plans to leave Turin this summer.
Cherubini said:
“We’ve currently received no signal from Cristiano Ronaldo to leave the club this summer. Same from our side. We’re happy to have Cristiano back with us once the new season will start.”
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