Jose Mourinho has admitted he “ran away” from his Inter players after winning the Champions League in 2010 – because he was afraid he would not be able to leave the club for Real Madrid otherwise.
A decade ago, Mourinho guided Inter to a unique Italian treble of Serie A, Coppa Italia and the Champions League, completed by winning the latter after defeating Bayern Munich 2-0 in the final at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Mourinho told The Athletic : “When I had these last words with Materazzi, it was like I was hugging every player which is something I tried not to do. I was on the pitch with them in the celebrations, in the medals, in the cup. I was with them but then I didn’t go back to the dressing room because I didn’t want to say goodbye.
“It was too hard for me and I didn’t want to leave with them for Milan because people were saying I had a contract with Real Madrid. It was not true. I had an agreement, but I did not have a contract signed.
“I really wanted to go to Real Madrid at that time. I really wanted to try to win the Spanish league after the English and Italian leagues – but I feared that if I go back to Milan with the team and, with the reaction of the players and the fans, I was afraid of not being able to leave. I can say that I ran away. I ran away from them.”