José Mourinho Surprises Interviewer by Revealing Dog's Death on 'Sad' Christmas Day

​An emotional-looking José Mourinho has revealed that his dog passed away over Christmas, prior to Tottenham's Boxing Day fixture against Brighton. 

Mourinho took over from Mauricio Pochettino in November and has enjoyed a mixed start to life in the Spurs managerial hot seat. The 56-year-old has picked up wins over the likes of Burnley, Wolves and Bournemouth during his tenure so far, though recent defeats to his former clubs, Chelsea and Manchester United will have frustrated the Portuguese manager. 

Prior to his side's 2-1 win over the Seagulls on Thursday, Mourinho broke the news about his dog - a Yorkshire Terrier named Leya - passing away, during an interview broadcasted on ​Amazon Prime before the game. 

When asked if he had enjoyed Christmas, the former Real Madrid boss responded: "To be honest, it was very sad because my dog died and my dog is my family. But we have to move on."


The presenter conducting the interview, Jim Rosenthal, expressed his condolences to the Spurs manager before moving on to discuss a number of other topics. 

Back in 2007, Leya the dog was sensationally caught up in a dispute involving the police. Mourinho was arrested and subsequently cautioned in an argument over Leya's right to live in the United Kingdom after an animal health official raised concerns over whether she had the required vaccinations. 


A spokesman for the then-Chelsea manager ​said at the time: "Jose Mourinho can confirm that he was cautioned by police, and released without charge earlier this morning after an incident involving his pet dog.

"The incident occurred due to a misunderstanding over documents required for veterinary regulations. Mr Mourinho would like to make it clear that his pet dog was bought in England from a reputable breeder and has had all its necessary inoculations."


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Source : 90min