Some managers struggle to control their tempers in the cut and thrust of top level football.
But, in the case of Jose Mourinho, he seems to be absolutely desperate to get involved in a war of words wherever humanly possible.
Just to give you a recap on this one, the wife of Rafa Benitez made what was perceived as a tongue in cheek comment about the Chelsea boss earlier this week when she said:
“Real Madrid are the third of Jose Mourinho’s old teams Rafa has coached.
“We tidy up his messes. If you think about it, of course you end up crossing paths. There are only a few world-class clubs out there.”
But, in a furious response to the claims, Mourinho said:
“The lady is a bit confused, with all respect. 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”, Mourinho noted.
“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”, the Portuguese went on scathingly.
The Chelsea boss clearly plans his verbal assaults with the same precision as one of his mentors, Sir Alex Ferguson – there is seldom a word out of place.
But, while there was usually at least a modicum of charm or wit in Sir Alex’s attacks, Mourinho can be as ruthless in his statements as he is in his desire to win games for Chelsea.
And while Mourinho’s tactics and personality can be incendiary, Benitez will surely have wished that his wife hadn’t made these comments.
Because, when you look at the respective managerial careers of the two, they hardly bear comparison.
While Mourinho has been a serial winner throughout his career – 8 league titles in 4 different countries, and 2 Champions League trophies, along with many other cups – Benitez has been little more than a safe pair of hands, with 2 La Liga titles with Valencia over a decade ago and that memorable Champions League trophy in 2005.
Perhaps Rafa needs to ask his wife to look at the ‘facts’.