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ESPN staff 9y

Chelsea's Jose Mourinho hits back at Real Madrid boss Rafa Benitez's wife

Jose Mourinho has hit back at Real Madrid boss Rafa Benitez's wife after she joked her husband had to deal with the "messes" the Portuguese left at his former clubs.

Benitez had spent time in charge of Inter Milan and Chelsea before taking on his current role at Real, and his wife told La Region: "Real Madrid are the third of Jose Mourinho's old teams Rafa has coached. We tidy up his messes."

However, Mourinho, who returned to Chelsea in 2013, highlighted the fact that Benitez had only directly replaced him at Inter, who had won Serie A, the Coppa Italia and Champions League in his final season.

Benitez was sacked midway through his first season with the Italian club.

Benitez enjoyed greater success during his brief reign as interim Chelsea boss in the 2012-13 season, when he secured Champions League qualification and won the Europa League, but he arrived at Stamford Bridge over five years after Mourinho's exit.

Mourinho, speaking after Chelsea's penalty shootout victory over Barcelona in Washington DC, told reporters: "The lady is a bit confused, with all respect.

"I'm not laughing, because her husband went to Chelsea to replace Roberto Di Matteo and he went to Real Madrid and replaced Carlo Ancelotti.

"The only club where her husband replaced me was at Inter Milan, where in six months he destroyed the best team in Europe at the time.

"And for her also to think about me and to speak about me, I think she needs to occupy her time, and if she takes care of her husband's diet she will have less time to speak about me."

Mourinho and Benitez have engaged in public spats dating back to their rivalry during the pair's initial stint in England, when Chelsea and Liverpool had several notable clashes, including the controversial 2004-05 Champions League semifinal.

The pair did not shake hands after their FA Cup semifinal in 2006 or the Community Shield the following season, and Benitez said in 2007: "We were good friends until we started winning, then he started changing his mind.

"It is the same with all the managers of the top sides. He has very good relationships with managers of teams that normally he beats."

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