'I Cried Driving Home...We Were Both Devastated': Jose Mourinho Recalls Moment With Cristiano Ronaldo After 2012 UCL Exit

Success comes with its fair share of failures as well. Jose Mourinho learned this the hard way during his stellar stint in Real Madrid, where he clinched the La Liga title in utterly dominant fashion before having to endure one of the toughest heartbreaks of his career.

Following his sacking from Roma, a documentary on the spirited Portuguese was released on Amazon Prime. Here, Mourinho delves into vivid detail about ‘a defeat that was much more than that.’

The ex-Real Madrid manager recalls the Champions League semi-final in 2012 when his Los Blancos faced off against the mighty Bayern Munich, the eventual winners that year, in the semi-finals where Real fell just short of glory (1-3) in a penalty shootout against the Bavarians.

That Sergio Ramos penalty that went over the bar on 25th April 2012 could have changed Jose’s fate in Madrid, and he, for one, does not forget.

Mourinho states that the defeat was one that made him weep as he drove back home, and was one of the most debilitating losses of his career.

“Yes, I cried,” admits Mourinho himself when reminded of the crucial fixture.

“Of course I didn’t do it on the pitch or in the dressing room, but it did happen on the way home”.

The Portuguese also recalls star player Cristiano Ronaldo’s agent, Jorge Mendes, ringing him up after the loss to inform him of his star player’s despair due to the outcome as well.

“Do me a favour, go to Cristiano’s house because he’s dead,” Mourinho recalled in his intervention.

“I told him I was too (dead), but I went, ‘Get ready, don’t cry and go to Cristiano’s home,’ I said to myself,” he recalled.

“He was in the same mood I was in. We were both devastated.”

While Mourinho has enjoyed success since those Madrid days – with a Premier League title win at Chelsea, as well as a Europa League and League Cup triumph with Manchester United, and a historic Conference League with Roma  – fans and football enthusiasts alike can’t help but imagine what the iconic Portuguese might have achieved has Real opted to secure his services for longer.

In hindsight, Real Madrid would barely bat an eye at the thought, as they would go on in the upcoming decade to establish themselves as the undisputed kings of Europe, clinching five out of the last 10 UCL titles.