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Mourinho says Ronaldo friendship is over

Jose Mourinho says he seldom crosses paths with Cristiano Ronaldo any more © Getty Images

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Jose Mourinho says he no longer has a personal relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo but wishes "the player" all the best.

Mourinho coached Ronaldo for three seasons at the Bernabeu, winning one La Liga title, one Copa del Rey and one Spanish Supercopa between 2010 and 2013.

The period also brought three successive semi-final eliminations in the Champions League, with the Chelsea coach last week recalling his frustration at Ronaldo missing a vital penalty during the shootout defeat to Bayern Munich in 2012.

Those comments were a reminder that the pair have not always seen eye to eye, with personal differences coming to the fore as Mourinho fell out with many of his squad during his final year at the Bernabeu.

Such coolness was evident when the Mourinho recently dismissed any possibility that Ronaldo could end up at Stamford Bridge in the future.

In an interview with Portuguese channel TVI, the Chelsea manager said that as he and Ronaldo lived in different countries they were no longer close, but he could not forget the positive moments they had shared together in Spain.

"There is no relationship," Mourinho said. "He plays for Real Madrid and I am Chelsea manager. We do not tend to meet in the street. There is no relationship, but there are memories. I remember the good times and the bad times."

Their spell together at Madrid had been mutually beneficial on the pitch, Mourinho said. "I must remember a kid who is a goalscoring machine, who helped me to be champion, to win the Copa and the Supercopa," he said.

"Probably I also helped him; we all helped each other, mutually, to make history, winning the title with 100 points against the best Barcelona team in history."

Mourinho also said that he wished Ronaldo "the player" all the best in future.

"Of Cristiano Ronaldo the player I keep the best memories and I wish him the best in his career, more with Portugal than with the club," he added. "Because when I leave a club, I do so with a feeling of belonging and liking because my ex-players will continue to be successful."

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