The ‘24/7 Valencia’ connection with José Mourinho stretches back to 2007, when Chelsea beat Valencia in the Champions League in a memorable match at Mestalla. At the post-match conference, we asked the question that was on the tip of the tongue of many journalists in the room as rumours were spreading that Mourinho was looking to leave the London club and Real Madrid had the cheque book ready. Indeed, Chelsea’s defensive press representative could sense trouble and initially blocked our troublesome question (24/7 Valencia:«José Mourinho, do you see yourself in Spain next season?») in English regarding Mourinho leaving Premier League football for La Liga: “Only questions in Spanish!” so we quickly reverted to asking the same question but in Spanish… to roars of laughter in the sala as Mourinho was happy to break free of Chelsea protocol (probably not for the first time) as he answered Will McCarthy (editor) of ’24/7 Valencia’ in English. Indeed, ‘The Guardian’ contacted us the next day to say that our interview had made headlines in the international press.

24/7 Valencia: Do you see yourself in Spain next season?

JOSÉ MOURINHO: «Good one! I have a contract until 2010 and I want to continue at Chelsea. It would be an honour to coach Madrid but it is not something I want to think about now. If my name is linked to Madrid it’s not because I have done anything to make that happen. Chelsea is a club I love, one where I want to continue.

But if I have to leave for some reason or because someone wants me to leave, then that’s life in football. If I leave, I want to work at another European club. I like English football and it would be nice to work at another Premiership club but not now. I will not even contemplate leaving Chelsea and going straight to another English club. That would be very strange – and it’s something I don’t want to happen.

What I want is to remain in England and remain with Chelsea. But sometimes in life you cannot get what you want. If I cannot train here I will train another team.”

By 2011, Mourinho was now Real Madrid’s manager and his reputation had grown, having won an astonishing “triple” at Inter Milan (Champions League, Scudetto and Cup) before moving to Spain for a new challenge with Real Madrid.

This time around, ‘24/7 Valencia’ met Mourinho just outside the press conference room after Real Madrid had beaten Valencia in Mestalla. Off the record and away from the cameras, we discussed his hometown of Setúbal in Portugal amongst other topics. Away from the public eye, he was warm and informal and rather human even! It’s a positive part of his character that his own players have often remarked upon, his public persona as a pantomime villain is more like an invented role he plays to protect his players. You can’t always judge a book by its cover.

Fast forward to 2018, ‘24/7 Valencia’ attended what turned out to be Mourinho’s penultimate press conference as manager of Manchester Utd. That night, the Reds lost 2-1 to Valencia in the Champions league but still qualified as second in the group to Juventus.

Former ’24/7 Valencia’ writer Sid Lowe wrote many Valencia Football articles for ‘24/7 Valencia’ in the early years of the magazine. Working for ‘The Guardian’, he asked a key question as ‘24/7 Valencia’ took exclusive photos at this slightly surreal post-match conference. Struggling in the Premier League, with a weary Mourinho perhaps sensing that his time was mutually coming to end with the owners of the famous English club:

Sid Lowe: With hindsight, do you see that there has been an opportunity lost (losing to Valencia)… the chance to have won this group and make progress in the competition that little bit easier?

JOSÉ MOURINHO: “I think that to qualify in this group is a success…never a failure. To finish second in this group is always a success. Before the game, I told the players that if we win tonight and Juventus win…we did our job. If we don’t win and Juventus doesn’t win…we can blame ourselves. I don’t think that the draw will be significantly different, apart from a couple of clubs that are clearly much better than the others. I think there are teams that finish second that the ones that finish first are not happy to play against. Now, there are combinations in the last 16 that you would only get before in the quarter-finals. In Pot One, the scenario changes completely in terms of combinations. Now, the finalists of the previous Champions league final can meet each other in the next round, as an example. I don’t think the problem is about the draw. This was a good match to play, a match without any kind of pressure…a competition that everybody likes to play. In the end, my team improved really when i made the changes that I didn’t want to make, which is a little bit of frustration because I didn’t want to play the 3 players that I played in the second half. I learned nothing from this game.” Barely a week after this press conference, Mourinho left Manchester Utd.

Fast forward to 2026 and Mourinho is back at Real Madrid once again…

JOSÉ MOURINHO ON MESTALLA: “VALENCIA HAS ALWAYS BEEN A DIFFICULT STADIUM”

Following Real Madrid’s 3–0 victory over Valencia at Mestalla, José Mourinho reflected on the atmosphere inside one of Spanish football’s most passionate grounds, the performance of his players, the demands of the fixture calendar and the importance of keeping his dressing room grounded.

There are few football managers who generate as much discussion, admiration and controversy as José Mourinho. And following Real Madrid’s emphatic 3–0 victory over Valencia at Mestalla on 7 November, the Portuguese coach once again provided plenty to talk about.

Despite the comfortable scoreline, Mourinho was keen to acknowledge the particular character of Valencia’s home ground, describing Mestalla as a traditionally difficult place to visit and recognising the intensity of its supporters.

We have adapted some of the most interesting exchanges from his post-match press conference into the following interview-style feature.

24/7 VALENCIA: Mestalla is renowned for its atmosphere. How did you experience the stadium and the Valencia supporters?

JOSÉ MOURINHO: Mestalla is passion. Throughout its history, Valencia has always had a difficult stadium, a ground where the supporters demand a lot from their team and their players.

When you play against a Real Madrid side that is individually and collectively much superior, frustration increases.

At the Santiago Bernabéu, people go along quite calmly to watch the match. In places like Santander and Valencia, the supporters make a little more noise. There are more protests and more intensity.

But everything was within normal limits.

24/7 VALENCIA: Did you feel that the atmosphere became increasingly tense as the match progressed?

JOSÉ MOURINHO: Valencia is a passionate football city. The supporters expect a lot, and when things aren’t going their way, they make their feelings known.

That’s part of football. I understand it perfectly.

24/7 VALENCIA: Your team appeared comfortable throughout much of the match. What pleased you most about the performance?

JOSÉ MOURINHO: The credit belongs to the players. I can’t identify anything in my own work that is the key to it. I do my job, and they are responding in a spectacular way, both individually and collectively.

There has been extraordinary development.

The fact that we have enjoyed so much possession and consequently had relatively little defensive work has helped us. But we must also recognise that whenever we lose possession, we work hard to win the ball back quickly.

24/7 VALENCIA: You have previously said that this Real Madrid team ‘smells good’. What exactly do you mean by that expression?

JOSÉ MOURINHO: It’s about the players and the atmosphere within the squad. They are happy, working together and responding to what we ask of them.

Even when we lose possession, everyone is prepared to help. In the second half, for example, Kylian Mbappé made a tremendous sprint to help defensively after we lost the ball.

That is the kind of commitment I want to see.

24/7 VALENCIA: There was also a discussion about the referee and the red-card incident. Were you satisfied with the officiating?

JOSÉ MOURINHO: The red-card incident looked very clear to me from a distance. As for the yellow card shown to Kylian, I’m not sure.

To be honest, from the touchline I thought the referee did a tremendous job.

24/7 VALENCIA: You have been critical of the fixture calendar. Are the demands on modern footballers becoming excessive?

JOSÉ MOURINHO: These marathons of matches have been too much. The players are extremely tired, and now they are going away with their national teams.

They need to rest. They need a great deal of attention and care.

My concern is the accumulation of fatigue. Winning matches doesn’t necessarily mean that players aren’t physically exhausted.

24/7 VALENCIA: You seem particularly keen to maintain a sense of perspective despite the team’s success.

JOSÉ MOURINHO: Winning matches at Real Madrid shouldn’t be an occasion for madness. Winning matches at Real Madrid should be normal.

I see happy people in the dressing room, with horrible music playing – absolutely horrible music – but happy people who are perfectly calm.

There may be chaos outside the dressing room, but there is no chaos inside it.

24/7 VALENCIA: Finally, what would you say to Valencia’s supporters after this result?

JOSÉ MOURINHO: Mestalla is a difficult stadium, and Valencia has always been a club with passionate supporters.

Football is about winning and losing. We have to respect that.

MOURINHO: STILL THE SPECIAL ONE?

Whatever people think of José Mourinho, his ability to dominate a press conference remains intact. His mixture of footballing authority, dry humour and carefully chosen provocations continues to make him one of the most compelling personalities in the game.

For Valencia supporters, perhaps the most interesting aspect of his appearance at Mestalla was his acknowledgement of the stadium’s atmosphere and its demanding football culture.

The 3–0 result belonged to Real Madrid, but Mourinho was in no doubt about one thing: Mestalla remains a special place in Spanish football.

Report by 24/7 Valencia team
Article copyright ’24/7 Valencia’