Mourinho: I was very frustrated when I lost a game at Barcelona, ​​and Robson comforted me to learn to be happy.

Before Benfica’s away Champions League match against Newcastle United, Benfica head coach Mourinho accepted an exclusive interview with TNT. He recalled the influence of his mentor Sir Bobby Robson on him and how that experience helped prepare him for his future career in the Premier League.

Q: What is the biggest lesson you learned from Sir Bobby Robson?

Mourinho: The biggest lesson I learned is that to be a leader, you have to be happy. Day in and day out, you have to be happy in the locker room. Not just with the players, but with the people around you. A happy leader is a good leader. Even though I look unhappy, even though I always have this straight face, in my daily work, I am happy.

Q: How helpful was Sir Robson’s guidance in your later success in England?

Mourinho: He (Sir Robson) loves this club and how many times he has talked about how proud he is to have played here for so many years. The head coach of the England team is also a "Geordie" (nickname for a Newcastle native) and a Newcastle native. I grew up around him and listened to him and maybe that's one of the reasons why when I came to England in 2004 I was ready. I know so much about it (English football). I'm ready and I'm learning all the time as I've been to Newcastle many times as an opponent. I know it's not the easiest place to play, but I love coming here.

Q: Did you have any special experiences while working together in Barcelona?

Mourinho: I learned important things from him on two levels. One time in Barcelona we lost a game and I was very frustrated and he said to me: "Jose, if you think about the happiness in the other team's dressing room, you won't be so sad." I didn't agree with it at first, but eventually I agreed.

Question: Why didn't Sir Robson take you with him when he left Barcelona for Eindhoven?

Mourinho: That was the moment. Sir Bobby left Barcelona and returned to PSV. At that moment, he was the one who told me that you cannot leave Barcelona to go to PSV. If Barcelona want you to stay, then stay. So I stayed in Barcelona. Then when I got the opportunity to come here (to Newcastle as Robson's assistant), in my mind I was ready to be a manager. I made my decision and stayed in Portugal for a few years.

Q: What does returning to St. James' Park mean to you?

Mourinho: The people we love, even close family members, day after day, busy days, things you have to think about, sometimes you don’t think about how much you miss that person in your life. But there's always some trigger point, and when I got here, this was a trigger point. There are negatives and there are positives. Negative because I miss him, positive because it was a privilege to live with him for so long.