We do find out that Cristiano calls Mourinho “Míster Mourinho” and Iker calls Cristiano “Crís” (the accent is there to reflect how Iker pronounces the word).
Really? That’s the best pose they could come up with? Someone must have spoken to Sergio Ramos right before the picture was taken…
Mou on Iker: One day a goalkeeper has to win the Ballon d’Or and I hope it’s Casillas because he’s the best.
Mou on Cristiano: He should have four or five of the Ballon d’Or. What he’s doing now is sufficient to win one.
Left: Iker concentrating and listening intently while Cristiano is in the midst of saying the words below about him. Right: Cristiano is not amused that Mou reached for Iker’s hand first, but in the end he gives it a thumbs-up.
Cristiano on Iker: Iker has the same value as the rest of the players [as in goalkeeper vs. field player]. I’m of the opinion that Iker should have been one of the three nominees for the Ballon d’Or this year. He won the World Cup and did great things… the save against Robben, the penalty against Paraguay… I don’t understand the concept of FIFA handing out the award; he deserves it.
Cristiano on Mou: No one else could have won the award. I’ve always had the dream of working with him, not only because he’s the best, but also because he’s Portuguese. Mourinho is very professional, as is his staff. I like working with professionals, since it motivates me… I hope Madrid can win what he won with Inter, Oporto and Chelsea. I’m very happy working with him and in Real Madrid.
Iker on Mou: I’ve been working with him for six months, and the person he is has nothing to do with how others see him. He’s concerned about everything and he never forgets about those people that work with him. Both my teammates and I are very happy to have him. Real Madrid has found the coach that they should have for a long time… [FP needs to get a tattoo of this phrase.] Mourinho is the adequate person to help me, as captain of Real Madrid and the Spanish national team, continue to mature in order to turn the group into a collective.
Iker on Cristiano: He has quality, he’s a born winner and we’re going to do everything possible to help him. We want him to be the best, the top scorer… we hope he’ll be one of the three finalists next year.
Other Mouisms, including some from an interview with Sky Sport 24:
– without players, coaches are nothing.
– without the people that work with me and without the love of my family, who gives me the motivation to continue, I wouldn’t be anything.
– I am with my players to the death and now I want to win titles with them (Iker and Cristiano).
– we work so that two or three of our players will be among the candidates to win the Ballon d’Or next year.
– I’m sure that even though tomorrow is a school day, my kids are awake and waiting for me at home.
– the only thing I didn’t like about the gala was when the presenter said, “Mourinho, coach of Real Madrid.” He should have said, “coach of Inter and of Real Madrid” since this award has to do more with my season with Inter. We were a family. We continue to be a family, one that I belong to from afar. I want Inter to win all the games that they have left this season, except those when they could face my team.
Mou also found time to share his award with “those people that work with him,” in Iker’s words, yesterday at Valdebebas. After all, with the exception of Aitor Karanka, these three men – José Morais, Rui Faria and Silvino – were part of the reason why Mou won the award, since they had all been part of his staff at Inter as well.
Some other scenes from yesterday, during Madrid’s trip to Zurich.
Álvaro is right about that imbécil, he really is on the phone the entire day. I wonder how long it takes him to remove it from his hand right before games? There’s probably an equipment manager in charge of just that. Or else it’s secretly stuffed inside his glove, we just don’t know about it.
The bus had more than 20 seats at my estimate, yet everyone spread out, as far away as possible from each other. Mou sat in the very back.
I wonder why Mou and Iker were already dressed, but Cris went for casual, and at what point he changed? He must really like this shirt, since it looks like he has a very similar long-sleeved version.
And on the plane, Iker and Cris both kept staring at their mobiles. I hope Iker was extra careful while eating.