‘It’s weakness, I hate it’ – Mourinho tackles Guardiola over sabbatical

Real Madrid manager, José Mourinho has seemingly criticized his long-time rival, Pep Guardiola, asserting that coaches who choose to take a voluntary break exhibit weakness.

Following the conclusion of his decade-long tenure with Manchester City in June, Guardiola is currently on a sabbatical. He also notably took a hiatus from coaching after his successful four-year period at Barcelona, which ended in the summer of 2012.

Mourinho, who has had a professional rivalry with Guardiola since his first spell at Real Madrid, holds a contrasting view regarding taking time off from the sport.

The Portuguese said in his Netflix documentary, as reported by Yahoo Sports: “Some guys, they need a sabbatical… which is something that I hate.

“I hate that word. For me, sabbatical means weakness. Don’t speak with me about sabbaticals. I never need a rest. I will have a rest when God decides to say, ‘Come up.’”

Mourinho, who reportedly had his €15 million release clause at Benfica activated by Real Madrid earlier this June, elaborated on his future plans.

“I cannot even fathom when I will cease my involvement in football. I say 10 more years, but it could be more than that. It is enjoyable.

“It has been, it is, and will always be enjoyable. I aspire to win more titles. I wish to secure new titles. I want to replicate titles. I aim to achieve this in places I have never been and in places I have previously visited.

“My existence revolves around walking into a football stadium filled with 50,000 or 90,000 fans. I have experienced 100,000. That is my realm. Without football, there is an incompleteness within me.

“However, I do not perceive it as an obsession. I do not regard it as an obsession. It is simply that when you attain a certain level, you desire to remain there indefinitely,” he said.