Benfica’s coach explains how Rui Costa’s invitation affected a return to Madrid.
Benfica’s next opponent in the Champions League is either Inter Milan or Real Madrid. Interestingly, both are former teams of José Mourinho. The coach respects his opponents and explains why he hasn’t yet been to the Santiago Bernabéu since leaving the team in 2013.
Next opponents
Madrid and Inter are two of the most important candidates to win the competition. It’s very clear, we are not. We competed, we lost to Chelsea, but we competed. We lost to Juventus, but we competed, and today we competed and won. Playing two-legged is more difficult. We are building a team. And we’ll see, we’ll enjoy today, play in the league, do what we’re doing. If those ahead don’t drop points, you can’t do anything. In the next round we’ll have two more players, Sidny and Rafa Silva. That gives us a few more options.
Return to the Bernabéu
I haven’t been back to the Bernabéu since I left Real Madrid. I used to go to the Bernabéu one weekend, I had everything arranged with a friend, I was in Barcelona. And then, Benfica called me. I went straight to Lisbon. I didn’t go to the Bernabéu because of that. Maybe I’ll return as an opponent.
