Jose Mourinho launches scathing attack on Rafa Benitez's weight as he tells his wife to spend more time 'taking care of her husband's diet'

Mourinho has responded to Montse Benitez's claim that her husband is always cleaning up the mess that Mourinho has left at a club

Jack de Menezes
Wednesday 29 July 2015 10:39 BST
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Jose Mourinho gestures during Chelsea's pre-season friendly with Barcelona
Jose Mourinho gestures during Chelsea's pre-season friendly with Barcelona

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has launched a stunning attack on his old rival Rafa Benitez after comments from his wife, in which he labels Montse Benitez "confused" and told her to spend more time "taking care of her husband's diet".

The rivalry between Mourinho and Benitez refuses to die down having originally cropped up when the latter was still managing Liverpool during Mourinho’s first spell in charge of Chelsea.

The feud was reignited this week when Benitez’s wife claimed that the 55-year-old was always cleaning up Mourinho’s mess at clubs he would join after the Portuguese’s tenure.

“We tidy up his messes,” she told La Region. “If you think about it, of course you end up crossing paths. There are only a few world-class clubs out there.”

Benitez has come under pressure for his allegedly strained relationship with Ronaldo

However, Mourinho clearly hasn’t taken well to Montse’s claim, and launched an incredible attack on Benitez for his weight as well as blaming the Spaniard for ruining “the best team in Europe” when he replaced Mourinho at Inter Milan in 2010.

“The lady is a bit confused, with all respect,” Mourinho said after seeing his side beat Barcelona on penalties. “I'm not laughing, because her husband went to Chelsea to replace Roberto Di Matteo and he went to Real Madrid and replaced Carlo Ancelotti.

“The only club where her husband replaces me was at Inter Milan, where in six months he destroyed the best team in Europe at the time. And for her also to think about me and to speak about me, I think the lady needs to occupy her time and if she takes care of her husband's diet she will have less time to speak about me.”

Mourinho’s comments suddenly make the attack personal and the Chelsea manager could face a possible backlash for what has been deemed an unnecessary and over the top outburst. While the pair have failed to see eye-to-eye over a number of matters since their sides clashed in the Champions League semi-finals in 2005 and again in 2007, the dispute has often remained on the pitch rather than off it.

Benitez and Mourinho back in 2005

Both Mourinho and Benitez have also worked at Chelsea and Real Madrid, although there were six years between Mourinho’s Stamford Bridge exit and Benitez taking the helm and two years have passed since ‘The Special One’ left Real with Benitez replacing Ancelotti this summer.

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