Jose Mourinho has played down the significance of Chelsea’s victory at the Club World Cup this summer and insists Paris Saint-Germain were the ‘big winner’ last season.
Chelsea pulled off an upset in the Club World Cup final earlier this month as Enzo Maresca’s side ran out 3-0 winners against PSG.
En route to the final, Chelsea beat Benfica, Palmeiras and Fluminense in the knockout stage before their victory over the Champions League holders.
And Mourinho, who now manages Fenerbahce, has likened Club World Cup games to pre-season friendlies.
‘This Club World Cup also highlighted a kid who also had a great season at Chelsea, Cole Palmer,’ Mourinho said in an interview with Canal 11.
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‘But this run to the semi-finals reminded me every time I went to the United States for pre-season with Real Madrid and Inter, it reminded me a little of those games we played there.
‘So, I think this Club World Cup title is only important for Chelsea, as they’ll sell a lot of jerseys with the logo on there.
‘So, I think PSG was the big winner this season, not because of what they did domestically, because they always win domestically, but winning the Champions League and the way they did, especially with the idea of losing their best player.
‘It reminds me of when I won at Inter, when Ibrahimovic had left for Barcelona and we were the ones who won.
‘I think this PSG team is the best team of the season, and these Portuguese players [Vitinha, Joao Neves, Nuno Mendes]… Gonçalo Ramos played less, despite often being decisive. I love them both [Vitinha and Joao Neves], I can’t tell the difference.
‘The only thing I’d say is that there’s still a small group of good midfielders there, and now full-backs like that… I’d like one of them to win [the Ballon d’Or], obviously, but then Jorge Mendes will get mad at me because he only thinks [Lamine] Yamal, his player, should win!.’
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