Real Madrid defender Pepe has admitted he was relieved that Jose Mourinho didn't last any longer than the three years he spent at Santiago Bernabeu, because he made the club a hate target.
Mourinho was manager in Madrid between 2010 and 2013, and guided Real to one La Liga title in 2012. However, his distasteful relationship with Pep Guardiola and the Spanish press over the years in charge made him something of a target, and his players - notably Pepe - felt the effects.
He said in an interview withCadena SER:Under Mourinho, people hated us when we got out there on the pitch. It lasted three years and thank God it went very quick.
Things changed when Carlo Ancelotti came in, you could see people started treating us different again.What happened with Mourinho is in the past now. I was strong and got over it. I maintained my high level at Madrid."
He then opened up on the differences between the current Manchester United manager and his current Real boss, Zinedine Zidane, adding:Mourinho and Zidane are very different, one could say they are opposites. But it's not like one is bad and the other is good.
Mourinho has a lot of experience as a coach, with great clubs and players. Zidane has only just started in La Liga last year. But he has played at the highest level himself and always knows what's expected on the pitch.
Zidane has been a player and knows what we think. He had a brilliant career at Madrid, so understands what the pressure is like here. We need to try to enjoy these moments because they'll end one day, and he's given us all a vote of confidence by not signing new players.�
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