Current London "Chelsea" coach Jose Mourinho attributed his previous failure in the UEFA Champions League with Madrid "Real" club to the best football player in the world Cristiano Ronaldo. The strategist arrived in Spain in 2010, immediately after winning trophies with Milan "Inter", but with the Madrid team he managed to reach only the same number of tournament semi-finals in three seasons. The closest "royal club" came to the final was in the 2011-12 season, when a penalty shootout was needed in the second leg match against Munich "Bayern". However, missed penalties by Ronaldo, Kaka, and Sergio Ramos allowed the Germans to advance to the final. Now Mourinho is preparing for the first "Chelsea" group stage match against Gelsenkirchen "Schalke", but he still remembers how his most reliable penalty taker stumbled at a crucial moment. "The two Champions League trophies achieved as a coach made my career special," the Portuguese told TVI24. "I have also been in several semi-finals. Some losses were very hard to bear, especially remembering the Liverpool goal, which was really not there in 2005, and the penalty shootout in 2012, when our first choice [Ronaldo] missed it." Mourinho also denied rumors that he could take over the reins of the Portugal national team from recently dismissed Paulo Bento.
