Left image: REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo Right image: Action Images/Lee Smith
Jose Mourinho has shed more light on his feud with Real Madrid legend Iker Casillas in his new documentary.
'The Special One's' new Netflix documentary, titled 'MOURINHO' was released earlier this week. The 'trophy-packed, insider-fuelled documentary' charts his 'iconic rise as one of the world's top footballing managers of the most elite clubs.'
During his career, Mourinho has had some high-profile feuds with some of his players. At Manchester United, he fell out with Paul Pogba, while at Real Madrid, he didn't see eye-to-eye with club legend Casillas.
Mourinho Calls Out Iker Casillas in New Documentary
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Mourinho was appointed Real Madrid manager in 2010. He won the Copa del Rey in his first season as manager, while in his second, Real Madrid won La Liga.
After a disappointing third season at the helm, where Los Blancos finished a distant 15 points behind Barcelona in La Liga, Mourinho was relieved of his duties.
In that final season, Mourinho had a public falling out with club captain Casillas. In December 2012, he dropped Casillas for backup Antonio Adán, and the following month he signed Diego Lopez and named him Real Madrid's starting goalkeeper. The two have not seen eye-to-eye ever since.
Speaking in his new documentary, Mourinho has now called out Casillas for what he said to him in his first ever meetings. He said:
"The first time I spoke to Casillas, he asked me for more days off for those returning from international duty.
"The second time, he asked me to bring training back by an hour because, at the time I wanted to train, there was a lot of traffic in Madrid.
Casillas' Phone Call to Xavi Didn't Go Down Well With Mourinho
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In the early 2010s, the rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid was at its most heated. To try and ease tensions, Casillas called his Spain teammate Xavi. That didn't go down well with Mourinho, though.
Casillas, who appeared in the documentary, said, per MadridUniversal: "That situation was complicated because you were captain of Real Madrid and captain of the Spanish national team.
“You were up against teammates who were your enemies on the football pitch, but who were then your teammates for the national team. I didn’t like seeing that and I told the manager so."
Mourinho didn't want his players being friends with Barcelona, though. He stated: “I told them: ‘This is Barcelona v Real Madrid. When you’re with the national team, you can kiss each other, but not now.
“This is war. There are things I don’t accept and will never accept. And when someone doesn’t respect me, it becomes a problem.’”
Sami Khedira, who played under Mourinho and is now part of his coaching staff, spoke out about the relationship between Casillas and the Portuguese.
"Iker was a Real Madrid legend, loved by the fans… Mou benched him and wouldn’t speak to him; he spoke ill of him in the media," he said.
"The dressing room became a living hell. After that, the relationship between Jose and many players – such as Cristiano and the Spanish players – broke down. And those players were very important to the atmosphere in the dressing room, which became toxic."
In the summer of 2026, 13 years after his departure, Mourinho was appointed Real Madrid manager once again. He will be hoping to be more successful than he was in his first stint.