"Great person"

Rivaldo wants Mourinho as Barca coach

Jose Mourinho (left): If it's up to ex-Royal boss Rivaldo, he'll soon be Barca coach.(Bild: AFP, AP)

An ex-Barca hero is raving about another man with a Barca past: Rivaldo, the blue-and-red's finest technician in the late 90s and early 00s, wants Jose Mourinho to be the Catalans' new head coach. "Mou" had in fact started his coaching career at Barca.

"He is a winner, a great person." Rivaldo fires off veritable volleys of compliments in the interview with "Betfair". After all, Jose Mourinho is currently without a club, so he would be "a great signing for Barcelona, even if some fans don't like the name".

Barca past
In fact, the constellation would fit perfectly: Barca coach Xavi has announced his retirement at the end of the season and a replacement has not yet been found - at least officially. Mourinho is available. And he can look back on a Barca past. From 1996 to 2000, "The Speical One" worked as assistant coach to Bobby Robson and Louis van Gaal. In the squad at the time: a certain Rivaldo, who went on to become a superstar and world footballer.

Rivaldo (right) in his heyday as a super technician at Barca(Bild: APA/AFP/Patrick HERTZOG)

"Mistake" on the CV
The latter apparently has fond memories of Mourinho. "Without a doubt, he would do a great job. He knows the team, the Spanish league, the Champions League and has a lot of experience." However - from the Barca fans' point of view - he also has a "mistake" on his CV: He was head coach of arch-rivals Real Madrid from 2010 to 2013 and at least won the league once. A former Real coach now the savior of the "Blaugrana"? For many Barca fans, this is probably a terrifying prospect. Not for Rivaldo. He sees Mourinho rather than a certain Pep Guardiola, a child of Barca, at the Catalans. "Mourinho would be easier to have at the moment because he is without a club."

But would Liverpool be better?
In fact, the Portuguese has been without a club since his dismissal from AS Roma. Does he have Barca in mind? On the contrary, he was spotted at the Fulham v Liverpool game at the weekend. The "Reds" are also looking for a coach for the new season ...