Mauricio Pochettino was sacked by Daniel Levy and the Tottenham board back in November 2019 and was replaced by Jose Mourinho within 24 hours.
This came just months after Pochettino had led Spurs into their first-ever Champions League Final, a culmination of his efforts across five-and-a-half years at the club.
However, there appears to be no bad blood between the Argentine and the Portuguese managers, demonstrated by Pochettino’s most recent interview.
The former Tottenham head coach revealed that he was happy to see Mourinho managing in North London, even if it was at his own expense.
Pochettino claimed that he and Mourinho have enjoyed a good relationship ever since they came head to head in La Liga during his Espanyol days.
Asked whether he resented Mourinho for taking his job, he said (Guardian): “No. Look, with José, we know each other for a long time.”
After respectfully dismissing questions linking him to the Real Madrid job during Mourinho’s time in charge, Pochettino claimed that his children currently slept in Espanyol pyjamas and he could not think about moving clubs.
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Mourinho subsequently presented Poch with a present upon their next meeting. Pochettino recalled: “It was a very nice bottle of French red wine for me and two Real Madrid kits. José says: ‘OK, these are for your kids to wear from now on.’ We have kept a good relationship since then and I am so happy he is at Tottenham, replacing me. I am happy as well to have left the club in the condition that we left it and for sure he is very grateful for the way that we helped to build the club, which is now his club.”
The ex-Spurs boss admitted that part of him expected to replace Mourinho at Real Madrid one day, yet it was the Special One who ended up taking his place at Tottenham.
He said: “I always think I’d replace him,” Pochettino says. “He was at Real Madrid. I say: ‘Oh, maybe one day I can take your place at Real Madrid,’ but look at how life works out. He has taken my place at Tottenham. Unbelievable, eh?”
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