"Cristiano has had three fantastic seasons with me. I don't know if they were the best of his career because he had some fantastic moments with Manchester United. I think we created a fantastic situation for him tactically in which he could express all his potential and turn that into records and goals."
Ronaldo said last year that he was unhappy at Real Madrid, and while his feelings have never truly been explained, perhaps a difference in opinion with Mourinho had something to do with it.
One thing that Mourinho's comments have made clear is that he likely won't beg Chelsea officials to bring Ronaldo to Stamford Bridge. There was some talk that Mourinho and Ronaldo might rejoin forces at Chelsea, but it's hard to imagine Mourinho pushing for that after expressing his opinions regarding his tenure as Ronaldo's coach.
Now that Mourinho is out of the fold, it will be interesting to see if Ronaldo decides to re-sign with Los Blancos. His contract doesn't expire until 2015, but there has been plenty of buzz surrounding a potential transfer in the near future.
Jose Mourinho is heading back to Chelsea for his second tenure at Stamford Bridge, but he didn't leave Real Madrid without taking some parting shots at star forward Cristiano Ronaldo. According to The Guardian, Mourinho believes that Ronaldo is a "know-it-all" who didn't react well to his criticisms.
Mourinho went on to say that Ronaldo was not particularly good at taking tactical instruction and that the Portuguese star didn't think Mourinho could develop him any further, according to The Guardian.
"I had only one problem with him, very simple, very basic, which was when a coach criticizes a player from a tactical viewpoint trying to improve what in my view could have been improved. And at that moment he didn't take it very well because maybe he thinks he knows everything and the coach cannot help him to develop more."
There is no question that Ronaldo had a great deal of success under Mourinho, as he scored 168 goals in three seasons with him at the helm. While Ronaldo's skill set undoubtedly had a lot to do with that, Mourinho gave some credit to his system as well, according to The Guardian.