Jose Mourinho Opens Up on Cristiano Ronaldo Relationship and Cesc Fabregas Shock

Revealing intimate details from his past and present managerial experiences, Jose Mourinho has lifted the lid on an unsettled relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo and says he never thought he'd get his hands on Cesc Fabregas this summer.

The former Real Madrid boss was speaking to Portuguese television station TVI (h/t Spanish newspaper AS) when he admitted the connection between him and Ronaldo was strictly business:

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The relationship does not exist. He plays for Real Madrid and I’m at Chelsea. We do not often pass each other on the street. The relationship doesn’t exist, it’s just a memory. I remember the good and the not so good. I remember that he is a goal machine, he helped me to become a champion, to win the cup and the Super Cup.

He probably also helped him and each of us to make history in winning the league with 100 points against the best Barcelona side in history. Cristiano Ronaldo gives me great memories and I wish him all the best in his career, for his country and for his club, because when I go to a club I go with a sense of belonging and wish my former players continued success.

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Despite sharing a country of origin and representation in agent Jorge Mendes, the pair endured an unsteady romance from the offset, little more than a strict agreement between employer and employee.

Of course, Ronaldo was no ordinary worker bee in this context, however, and a clash of egos always appeared to be the base around which there was no real romance founded.

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Mourinho's latest comments surely serve to dismiss the idea that the Blues may make a mega-money move for Ronaldo's services in 2015, with the Express (h/t Metro) suggesting that a £60 million investment had been put in place.

As Dermot Corrigan points out, it puts Chelsea, and indeed Mendes, in a peculiar position:

It raises an intriguing debate relating to just how much value on-pitch production holds when other factors such as morale and mutual respect might be at stake.

Current Real chief Carlo Ancelotti has offered his (somewhat reserved) take on the matter, per AS, praising his predecessor but also insisting he has no interest in how his relationship with Ronaldo worsened:

However, from one hero to the next, Mourinho has come upon a different talisman of late in the shape of Fabregas, whose summer capture from Barcelona wasn't an investment he thought possible.

A combination of factors, including the player's past at Arsenal and his boyhood connections to the Blaugrana, looked as though they may impede the switch. Mourinho stated, per AS:

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For me it was a surprise that he came. We knew the type of player that we wanted but I never thought there was a chance Fabregas would come. I always thought he would stay in Barcelona, or if he returned to England it would be with Arsenal. When we knew it was possible it completed the jigsaw, leaving us with a team that still has many years to grow with its own identity.

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With seven goals in his first four Premier League games for the club, Diego Costa has very much been the spearhead for the Blues since arriving over the summer, but Fabregas has played the role of chief puppeteer magnificently.

Goal.com's Wayne Veysey notes Fabregas' impact in loosening up the west Londoners, having indeed become a vital piece of their puzzle:

Chelsea may well have got their hands on an extreme bargain if the Spaniard's first few months at Stamford Bridge are an early indicator of what's to come, currently averaging four chances created per Premier League game, according to Squawka.

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And what's more, Mourinho may have the advantage of striking up a more fruitful relationship with Fabregas, with none of the issues held with Ronaldo yet rising to the fore.

Only time will tell if the partnership results in quite so many additions to the trophy cabinet, but as of now, the tactician is undoubtedly pleased with his new capture.