Jose Mourinho makes a joke about ignoring Dani Carvajal at Real Madrid

Jose Mourinho is the most divisive character in football; where some fans love him to this core, others hate him to his guts. For Real Madrid, the feeling is positive. It must be remembered that before he joined Real Madrid, Los Blancos struggled in the Champions League, routinely being eliminated in the round of 16.

Despite Jose Mourinho being unable to win the Champions League at Real Madrid, he did improve them massively in Europe. He made them a force to be reckoned with once more and in many ways, built the foundations which the likes of Zinedine Zidane and Carlo Ancelotti benefited from. He also achieved some great things in La Liga, which was his forte by all means.

However, like every great manager, Jose Mourinho was not without his flaws. While most of his decisions were positive at the Bernabeu, there is one regret which Jose Mourinho seemingly still holds.

Jose Mourinho makes a joke about ignoring Dani Carvajal at Real Madrid

Taking to social media, Jose Mourinho congratulated Spain for their win in the EURO 2024 final against England, a well deserved win. Real Madrid legend Dani Carvajal played a key role in the defence, eliminating the likes of Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham from the game. This was noted by Jose Mourinho, who is *finally* starting to recognise Carvajal's qualities.

Hilariously, Jose Mourinho said (h/t Daily Mail): "2024/Champions League winner captain Nacho Fernandez/European Champion winner captain Alvaro Morata. Many congratulations to them and to the coach who gave them their debut when they were just kids in the Academy. Same coach who did not understand that Dani Carvajal was another one."

Jose Mourinho is of course referring to his time as Real Madrid manager, where he spotted Nacho Fernandez and Alvaro Morata as two players to watch in the academy. Of course, the former went on to have a stellar career with Real Madrid and the other had a good career outside of Real Madrid... But the less said about Morata, the better.

It was Dani Carvajal who saw the dark side of Jose Mourinho, as it was the Portuguese manager who made Carvajal walk the Real Madrid plank. Of course, Carvajal spent some time in the Bundesliga, playing for Bayer Leverkusen for a season. He then returned to Real Madrid and became one of their most successful players in history.

It's good to see that both men can look back at the foolish decision to sell Dani Carvajal and laugh about it now. After all, both Jose Mourinho and Dani Carvajal have achieved so much since then.

What is your favourite memory of Jose Mourinho as Real Madrid manager?