Borja Mayoral Reflects on His Time Under Mourinho at Real Madrid
Jose Mourinho had a very successful first spell at Real Madrid, going toe-to-toe with a super Barcelona team, and now he is back for his second spell.
During his time in the Spanish capital back then, several players played and trained under him, and anecdotes from them are always interesting to hear.
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One of them is Borja Mayoral, who spent a stint at Los Blancos and is currently playing for city rivals Getafe.
In an interview with MARCA, the current Getafe striker spoke openly about his experience with Mourinho, describing both the positive influence the coach had on his development and the moments that left him uncomfortable in the dressing room.
Mayoral praises Mourinho’s coaching
Despite not always enjoying regular playing time, Mayoral spoke warmly about Mourinho’s work on the training ground. He said:
“What I liked most, above all, was the training sessions. They were very competitive and very enjoyable. Even though my situation was not ideal, I really enjoyed training with him.”
The striker also revealed that his relationship with Mourinho improved over time and that the Portuguese manager gave him confidence before important matches. He continued:
Mayoral played under Mourinho at AS Roma. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
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“As time went on, he even surprised me. Through the conversations we had and some of the things he told me before certain matches, I felt he valued my work.”
“I remember that on one occasion he told me I deserved to have played much earlier, and he also spoke very highly of me in a press conference.”
Mayoral continued by highlighting Mourinho’s approachable side:
“I keep that with me. He was a close person. With Gonzalo Villar, Carles Perez and the Spanish players, he often talked about his time at Real Madrid.”
“I’ve always been very curious, so I took the opportunity to ask him many things about his time at Madrid.”
The criticism that stood out
It was not all praise from Mayoral, however, as he also highlighted the side of Jose that he least liked.
Borja Mayoral has offered his opinion on Jose Mourinho. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
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While he reiterated that he was grateful for the support, he also pointed out one area where he felt the coach crossed the line. He said:
“What I liked least? Maybe it was that inability to lose. He made comments inside the dressing room that I didn’t like. Not only towards me, but also towards other teammates.”
He concluded by explaining that he understood Mourinho’s competitive nature but felt respect should always come first. He said:
“I understand that he is a very competitive person and that in the heat of the moment we can all say things, but I believe respect for people should always come above everything else.”
Mayoral’s comments come across as balanced rather than confrontational. However, he also highlighted reasons why his Los Blancos spell reached a very toxic place towards the end.
Jose is now back in the Spanish capital, older, wiser and no less competitive. It remains to be seen how the current squad take to his methods.