• Premier League

Mourinho respect for 'nice guy' Wenger

ESPN staff
July 28, 2013
Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger have clashed in the past © PA Photos
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Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger have not seen eye to eye in the past, but the pair appear to have settled their differences.

Chelsea manager Mourinho has opened up about his new-found respect for the Arsenal boss, which all began at several tournaments once the Portuguese departed Stamford Bridge six years ago.

"I started meeting him in UEFA, at the Euros [European Championships], the World Cup, we had dinner and so on," Mourinho is quoted as saying in Sunday's press.

"And when you are not in the same league and when you are not playing against each other, it is easier to know people, it is easier to go deeper. It is easy to speak about football, he's a very nice guy."

During his first spell at Chelsea, Mourinho called Wenger "a voyeur" after the latter made several comments about the club.

But Mourinho insists they have buried the past. "I respect him a lot and I will show my respect always. [In] football sometimes even if you are friends and respect each other, you say something the other doesn't like and you react," he said.

"But at the end of the day I respect him a lot and I have the feeling that he is the same in relation to me. I wouldn't bet on one single problem between us."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd
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