‘We’ve met a few times’ – Rafa Benitez discusses relationship with rival Jose Mourinho amid ‘part-excitement’ at Special One joining Benfica
When asked about Mourinho’s homecoming, Benitez could not hide his “part excitement” as revealed to The Telegraph. Pressed on whether the animosity has softened over the years, Benitez made it clear the rivalry may have mellowed, but it never truly faded.
“We’ve met a few times with Uefa meetings and it is OK, but nothing like that. We’ve never spoken about those games,” he said.
From ghost goals to penalty shootouts, Liverpool versus Chelsea in the mid-2000s defined European nights. And central to it all were Benitez and Mourinho, locked in an unrelenting battle of wits.
