Mourinho and Guardiola consoled each other over death of their parents as Tottenham boss insists rivalry stays on pitch

JOSE MOURINHO has revealed the true state of his relationship with Pep Guardiola – a friendship where they consoled each over the deaths of parents. Mourinho and Guardiola have spent much of their managerial careers in direct competition with each other in Spain and now in England. Tempers boiled over in games between Barcelona and […]

JOSE MOURINHO has revealed the true state of his relationship with Pep Guardiola – a friendship where they consoled each over the deaths of parents.

Mourinho and Guardiola have spent much of their managerial careers in direct competition with each other in Spain and now in England.

Agencia Feriaque

Jose Mourinho has revealed how Pep Guardiola paid him a heartwarming call when his father died[/caption]

EPA

Mourinho did the same when Guardiola’s mother passed, with both men friends off the field[/caption]

Tempers boiled over in games between Barcelona and Real Madrid and the rivalry in charge of the two Manchester clubs kept the temperature hot .

But Tottenham boss Mourinho says there is a secret side the world is unlikely to see when he takes his team to the Etihad to face Manchester City today.

He said: “Football matches, football problems if you want to call them – for me, I’m from the generation where what happens in a football match stays in the football match and I have only positive feelings and good respect.

“There are moments in life where we don’t forget things.

“One of the things I don’t forget was when my father died he knew how important my dad was to me so he had a call.

“By the way, today would be my dad’s birthday, he would be 83 today and, of course when his mum died I replied the same way.

“So there are things that people don’t see, we don’t need to share.

“I’m sharing because now I have the opportunity but I only have good memories of him when we were together.”

Mourinho added: “The problem with us coaches is that it is not easy to develop or cultivate friendships or to develop relations because we don’t see each other.

“We see each other before games, two minutes, and after games another two minutes and it’s difficult.

“But with Pep I keep the three years where we were together, we saw each other every day, we celebrate together the titles we won, we didn’t cry but we were disappointed together when we lost.

“Something important, great periods of our lives, him as a player, me as a young assistant and that’s what of course I keep.

“After that I can only have good feelings with him – I don’t have any bad feeling.”