Mourinho: Discussing Messi is complicated, Atlético are contenders for LaLiga

José Mourinho, the manager of Real Madrid, discussed several important topics during the press conference he held before the match against Real Betis, scheduled to take place tomorrow in the fourth round of LaLiga at the Estadio La Cartuja.

Mourinho spoke about Lionel Messi, saying: "Talking about Messi is complicated. There isn't much to say, and there are no words that can describe his quality as a player. He reached the FIFA World Cup at the age of 38 or 39, and he was as we saw him. He is one of those players that you will miss. We will have to watch some MLS matches, which I don't like very much, to benefit from his last years."

Real Madrid's head coach added: "He is one of those players who, as I said in a previous press conference, you always miss. He is one of the players of our generation."

Regarding the competition for the LaLiga title, Mourinho sees Atlético as a strong presence in the race, stating: "I believe Atlético will be there too, and even if they don't say it publicly, they will feel that they can compete, with the way they have signed players, there is internal stability, with keeping the coach and the organization and training methods, and this gives you more strength than constantly changing everything."

He continued: "For me, Atlético are also among the contenders. Then there are the teams that will compete for the UEFA Champions League spots, such as Real Betis and Real Sociedad, which are strong teams."

He emphasized: "Tomorrow we will see how strong Betis are. The Basque teams are very difficult. For me, this league is not easy, but there is constant pressure to win here. In France or Germany, the favorites know they will always be champions, but here it is different. And this pressure carries a big risk."

Regarding his past remarks about Manuel Pellegrini: "I never blame anyone, because we cannot go back to the past. But in the past, there are words that a person says and in the end feels foolish. You feel you made a mistake, that's why I don't blame him, but I said some very stupid words about him, after that, and I'm sure he would laugh if he heard me, I paid a good price for that."

Manuel Pellegrini concluded: "The championship that he won with Manchester City, I gave it to him, because if Liverpool had drawn with Chelsea two rounds before the end, Manchester City would have been champions. I paid the price well, and then he did something with me that shows he is a great man, during a friendly match between Real Betis and Roma, when Roma ended up playing with seven players due to a referee who loved Betis very much, Pellegrini said: 'We will not pressure them more, we will leave the match as it is.' The score was 3-1 or something like that. He could have scored eight goals, he is a great coach, and a wonderful example as a human being. I love him very much. Tomorrow we will shake hands before and after the match, and then we will start working."