'He was doing what he had to do': Rafa Benitez opens up on Jose Mourinho feud and insists it is 'all finished now'

  • Rafa Benitez and Jose Mourinho had a long-running feud over several years 
  • Mourinho also hit back at Benitez's wife Montserrat over some comments 
  • But the Spaniard has suggested his feud with Mourinho is 'all finished now' 

Rafa Benitez has spoken about his long-standing feud with Jose Mourinho and suggested that it is now over.

The duo have both managed Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Chelsea during their coaching careers, often with one following the other, but they have often disagreed with each other publicly.

Their relationship probably reached its nadir during the tense matches between their Liverpool and Chelsea sides in the mid to late-2000s.

Rafa Benitez has spoken about his long-standing feud with new Spurs manager Jose Mourinho

Rafa Benitez has spoken about his long-standing feud with new Spurs manager Jose Mourinho

But it took another turn in 2015 when Benitez's wife Montserrat said: 'We tidy up (Mourinho's) messes'.


Mourinho responded: 'I think the lady needs to occupy her time. If she takes care of her husband's diet she will have less time to speak about me.

'The lady is a bit confused, with all respect - I'm not laughing. The only club where her husband replaced me was at Inter Milan, where in six months he destroyed the best team in Europe at the time.' 

The Spanish boss has suggested that the feud between the pair of managers is now over

The Spanish boss has suggested that the feud between the pair of managers is now over

Benitez has now commented on the new Spurs manager in an interview with FourFourTwo: 'He was doing what he had to do, and I was doing what I had to do.

'That was the reason why Liverpool were competing against a club spending double or triple the money we were spending. But that's all finished now.'

Former Newcastle manager Benitez is currently in charge of Chinese Super League club Dalian Yifang.