Mourinho reveals why Ronaldo shouldn't fear his Serie A return

In his first press conference as Roma manager, Jose Mourinho was quizzed on the prospect of facing his former Real Madrid star player.

Jose Mourinho joked Cristiano Ronaldo shouldn’t fear his presence in Serie A as he won’t be able to hit him from the touchline.

Mourinho has returned to Italy for the first time since leaving Inter Milan in 2010. He has signed a three-year contract at AS Roma and held his first press conference as the club’s manager on Thursday.

Several topics were up for discussion, including the Portuguese’s plans for Roma, his record at his most recent clubs, and facing Ronaldo.

To nobody’s surprise, Mourinho defended his results at Chelsea, Manchester United, and Tottenham. He also claimed to be a ‘victim of how people look at me’. As for Ronaldo, however, the 58-year-old showed his playful side by joking that CR7 is lucky he is a manager, not a defender.

Asked if facing Ronaldo worries him in the press conference, Mourinho replied: “No, because I’m not playing at center-back.

“Had I played center-back, I’d have hit him, but unfortunately I’m not good enough and I’m too old to play against him.”

Mourinho defends his recent record

While Roma fans gave Mourinho a warm welcome upon his arrival last week, some pundits in Italy weren’t so enthusiastic.

The ‘Special One’ is one of the most successful managers in football history. He has won league titles across four different nations and won the Champions League twice at two different clubs in Porto and Inter Milan.

But Mourinho’s reputation has suffered in recent years upon getting fired from his last three jobs at Chelsea, Manchester United, and Tottenham.

“I have nothing to say,” said Mourinho.

“In my last three clubs, I won the title at Chelsea, three cups at United, and I reached a final at Tottenham, where we arrived sixth starting from 12th, reaching the Europa League. What’s considered a disaster for me it’s something that others have never achieved, it’s my fault.”