Ronaldo failed me in the Champions League – Mourinho

• Posted on September 15, 2014
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

The Chelsea boss has lamented how the forward did not score his penalty in the semi-final shootout in 2011-12 while he was in charge at Real Madrid

Jose Mourinho has laid his failure to win the Champions League with Real Madrid at the feet of Cristiano Ronaldo.

The coach joined Madrid in 2010 having just won the trophy with Inter, but a third success in the competition eluded the Portuguese as he could only reach three consecutive semi-finals in his three seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The closest Mourinho and Ronaldo came to being crowned champions of Europe together was in 2011-12 when they took Bayern Munich to penalties after extra-time in the semi-final second leg, but failed efforts from Ronaldo, Kaka and Sergio Ramos saw them eliminated.

Mourinho left Madrid for Chelsea last summer, where he is gearing up for Wednesday’s Champions League group-stage opener versus Schalke, but he has not forgotten how his regular penalty taker missed at the most crucial of stages.

“Winning the Champions twice as coach has made my career a special one,” the former Porto boss toldTVI24.

“I’ve been in several semi-finals too and some defeats were especially hard to take, such as the goal that did not exist against Liverpool [during his first Chelsea spell] in 2005 or on penalties in 2012 when our first-choice penalty taker [Ronaldo] went up first and failed.”

Mourinho also dismissed suggestions that he could take over as Portugal boss following Paulo Bento’s departure earlier this month, which he admits struck him as bizarre timing.

“They have not asked me if I want the job, but I would not accept,” the 51-year-old added.

“I’m surprised with the situation though. It is not unheard of for a coach to be fired or to depart after one or two games, sometimes even in pre-season if it does not feel right. If there’s not a connection there or if chances of success are minimal.

“But that’s not the case here. If at the end of the World Cup, Bento had decided to leave or the Portuguese football association had chosen to get someone new, that would be normal. But at this point it is strange.”

By Miles Chambers