Jose Mourinho has never been one to keep quiet. Aside from attacking his competitors in the Premier League, he has decided to strike out against players in other leagues as well. His latest target is Gareth Bale.
The Portugese manager has stated that he would never have voted for Gareth Bale to win the Player of the Year award in the Premier League last season.
"I always say that individual awards should be for the winners, that's always my feeling," Mourinho said, according to ESPN. "I think last year happened to Gareth and not a Man United player because Gareth was really more than special, he had a fabulous season."
He went on to argue that individual awards should not emphasize individual statistics. Bale put up 21 goals and four assists for Tottenham Hotspur in 2012-13 despite being unable to lead his team into a top four spot.
"But normally individual awards are a consequence of collective work, a consequence of the team's big award. I don't vote, but if I vote I always vote for a player that belongs to the champions -- the most preeminent player in the team that wins the league," said Mourinho. "I think what happened to Gareth, in my opinion, was something out of the way I understand football. So for me they should wait to see the champion. I think football is about teams, it's not about players, it's about teams."
One might interpret Mourinho's claims as a veiled attack at Cristiano Ronaldo; Mourinho coached Ronaldo at Madrid last season and the two had a rather public falling out. The coincidences do not end there; Bale is currently a member of Madrid.
Bale has had a rough time at Real Madrid as he has been unable to stay healthy. However, he has put up nine goals and eight assists in just 15 Spanish league titles; he has four goals and two assists in games that he has played without Cristiano Ronaldo.