It Was Jose Mourinho’s Idea That I Play Against Seleccion De Murcia – Former Real Madrid Defender Chendo

Posted Thursday, May 19, 2011 by ESPN

Retired Spanish right-back was back in the club’s colours this evening in a charity game at the Nueva Condomina

Former Real Madrid defender Chendo has thanked coach Jose Mourinho for giving him the chance to don the club’s shirt again on Wednesday evening.

The 49-year-old right-back played for the Spanish giants in the 1980s and 1990s and came on in the final minutes of their charity game against Seleccion de Murcia. He donned the number 2 shirt and wore the captain’s armband too.

Speaking after the game that ended in a 2-2 draw and was arranged to raise support for the victims of the earthquake-hit town of Lorca, Chendo explained that it was Mourinho’s idea for him to return to the pitch.

"It was so nice to play,” enthused the Real Madrid Team Delegate, according to Madrid’s official website. “I was touched by the applause I received when I started warming up and when I got in on the game.

"Mourinho told me that it was a special day; that we were in Murcia to support a good cause. I grabbed [Ricardo] Carvalho's shirt because he wasn't going to play. I was very happy that I got to play for 10 minutes."

"The players congratulated me and we laughed a lot. I'm not in the best of shape, so I had to stop the opponent any way I could."