“We don’t see players like them many times” - Jose Mourinho lauds Cristiano Ronaldo and 2 other Real Madrid legends
Celebrated football manager Jose Mourinho recently reflected on Real Madrid legends Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric, and Toni Kroos' careers. The trio brought many laurels for the club during their time at Madrid.
Ronaldo is currently 39, while Modric is 38. Both of them are playing their final European championships in all likelihood. Kroos, meanwhile, has already announced that he'd retire from professional football after Euro 2024.
Mourinho recently expressed his grief at three such iconic players nearing the end of their careers. He told Philipp Kessler (via Madrid Zone on X):
"To watch Euro with sadness? Because I believe Tonki Kroos, Luka Modric, and Cristiano Ronaldo, it is the last Euro for them. And I say sadness, because players like them, we don't see very often."
Mourinho further claimed that Kroos didn't get recognized as much as he should have been. He said:
"In the case of Cristiano and Modric, football was nice to them and gave them the pride of being considered the best in the world in some moments. I think Kroos didn't get enough for the player that he is. For me, he is absolutely an amazing player."
Kroos' Germany defeated Scotland 5-1 in the Euro 2024 opener. Modric's Croatia suffered a 0-3 loss to Spain in their first game. Ronaldo and Portugal take center stage on Tuesday, June 18, against Czechia.
Cristiano Ronaldo's record under Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid
Jose Mourinho managed Luka Modric and Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid. Toni Kroos joined a year after the Portuguese left.
Ronaldo played 164 goals under Mourinho across three seasons. He scored an astounding 168 goals and provided 49 assists during that period. They won one La Liga, one Copa del Rey, and one Supercopa de Espana.
It was Mourinho who first used Ronaldo as a leading striker. Ronaldo played in that position for the first time in the 2010-11 Copa del Rey final. He scored a spectacular extra-time header to win the trophy for Los Blancos.
While Ronaldo and Jose Mourinho's time together wasn't trophy-laden, they managed to end Barcelona's one-sided dominance in Spanish football.