Filipe Luis lifts lid on Jose Mourinho 'betraying' him at Chelsea

22 February 2021 09:15

Filipe Luis has shed some light on his time at Chelsea, revealing he felt Jose Mourinho 'betrayed' him during his short-lived spell at Stamford Bridge.

Luis, now back in his native Brazil where he stars for Flamengo, will watch his two former sides go head to head in the Champions League on Tuesday night, as Atletico Madrid host Chelsea in Budapest.

The left-back is best known for his time with Atleti, where he played in two Champions League finals across his two spells under Diego Simeone. But right in the middle of his Atletico career came a season at Chelsea, where he failed to win the favour of then-manager Mourinho.

The Blues won the Premier League and the League Cup during Luis' one season in England, but Luis managed just 15 league appearances, with Mourinho often selecting Cesar Azpilcueta at left-back ahead of him.

And while the 35-year-old knows now that Mourinho's choices were vindicated, he freely admits he harboured some bad blood towards the Portuguese boss,

He said in an interview with The Mail: “When I was on the bench for the first game of the season I knocked on Mourinho’s office door and said: ‘Why did you bring me here? Why didn’t you just leave me at Atletico?’

“He said that he didn’t feel as secure defensively with me in the team as he did with Azpilicueta. He said I had to win my place. I couldn’t expect that because of my name I was going to be first choice.

Luis won the Premier League at Chelsea alongside some Atleti alumni | Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

“He was right. I wasn’t playing well. But I also think you have to be on the pitch to improve. I never regretted the move because I was at one of the biggest clubs in the world but everyone wants to play.

“At the time I felt betrayed for want of a better word. I did not want to work for Mourinho for another year. But it was not his fault. We won the final and I have the medal at home."

There was no doubt in Luis' mind who he will be supporting on Tuesday, however.

"I’m supporting Atletico," he said. "It’s still my dream to see them win the Champions League."

Source: 90min