June 5, 2013 -- Updated 1615 GMT (0015 HKT)
Legendary Brazilian footballer Pele believes Jose Mourinho's return to
Chelsea will benefit the London club but warns that there is no
guarantee the Portuguese can deliver success. FULL STORY
June 5, 2013 -- Updated 1620 GMT (0020 HKT)
Pele: Mourinho is 'good for Chelsea'
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Pele believes Jose Mourinho's return to Chelsea is good for the English Premier League club
- Brazilian warns that the arrival of the Portuguese does not guarantee success
- Three-time World Cup winner saddened by Neymar leaving Santos for Barcelona
Mourinho made his
long-awaited return to Stamford Bridge on Monday, after cutting short a
three-year tenure at Real Madrid despite having another three years left
on his contract.
The 50-year-old won the
2012 league title with the Spanish giants, and the Copa del Rey the year
before, but failed in the club's primary objective -- to win a 10th
European crown.
The relative lack of
success in the Champions League, where Mourinho guided Real to the
semifinals in each of his three seasons, may underpin Pele's comments
about his reappointment at the home of the 2012 European titleholders.
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"Mourinho's return is good for Chelsea because he's a good coach," Pele told CNN's World Sport.
"He is talented and very honest. I know him personally. But football is a box of surprises.
"He has to have a bit of luck because in football, sometimes the best doesn't work. I wish him good luck."
During his first stint in
charge of Chelsea from 2004-2007, Mourinho delivered the club's first
English title in half a century before adding another Premier League
crown, an FA Cup and two League Cups as well.
While he was away, the
former Porto manager won his second Champions League with Inter Milan in
2010, a year when he won the league title for the second time with the
Italian club.
Desperate to win the
Champions League for the first time since 2002, Real Madrid turned to
Mourinho just days after he ended Inter Milan's barren 35-year run in
the competition.
But even with the
goalscoring ability of star player Cristiano Ronaldo, the semis proved
an insurmountable barrier as successive exits at the hands of Barcelona,
Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund followed.
Mourinho's relationship
with his compatriot Ronaldo broke down towards the end of his Madrid
reign and the coach explained why in typically outspoken fashion during
an interview broadcast by popular Spanish football show "Punto Pelota"
on Tuesday.
"I had only one problem
with him -- very simple, very basic -- which was when a coach criticizes
a player from a tactical viewpoint, trying to improve what in my view
could have been improved," he said.
"And at that moment he
didn't take it very well because maybe he thinks he knows everything and
the coach cannot help him to develop more."
While Ronaldo's future
at Real Madrid has been the subject of recent debate, the endless
speculation is finally over about where a Brazilian youngster who is
often compared to Pele will end up.
Neymar, 21, signed a
five-year deal with Real's great rivals Barcelona this week, leaving
behind the very club where Pele made his name from 1956-1974: Santos.
After winning numerous
titles with the club, including the 2011 Copa Libertadores, Neymar has
often been labeled "the next Pele" but the man himself -- still the only
player to have won the World Cup on three separate occasions -- refuses
to make such a comparison.
"To be the new Pele
would be very difficult, because my mother and my father closed the
machine," joked the 72-year-old, who lifted the Jules Rimet trophy in
1958, 1962 and 1970.
"But no doubt he is one of the best players we have in Brazil."
"Of course in Brazil we
have a lot of excellent players like Zico, Tostao, Rivelino, Pele,
Ronaldinho, but the last two years we have Neymar, who is very talented.
"I hope he has luck in
Barcelona. I didn't like it so much because he used to play in my team,
Santos. I lost a good player. But it's important to understand that he
deserves to go to the best team."
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