Jose Mourinho picks ticketless fan off the street and gives him dream Real Madrid job
There are few true fairytales left in the clinical and often cruel world of European football, but in a tale to warm hearts all over the world Jose Mourinho has helped one fan have the chance of a lifetime after plucking him off the snowy Madrid streets – to work as Real’s kit man.
Abel Rodriguez, a 41-year-old Mexican, cleans underground stations in Los Angeles by day, but after a chance meeting last month he has become the latest addition to Mourinho’s backroom staff.
The career change came about after Rodriguez, who worked as an unpaid ball boy for boyhood club Madrid during their pre-season tour of America, spent his last few dollars on a trip to Spain to try and catch the El Clasico clash with Barcelona in March.
But having failed to find any tickets, let alone a hotel room, he was left on the snow covered streets before being spotted and recognised by Mourinho on the way to training.
‘”Amigo, what are you doing here?” he [Mourinho] asked me,’ recalls Rodriguez to Sports Illustrated.
‘I told him that I came to visit you guys. It’s my first time in Europe, and my dream has been to come and see games. I was hoping to see El Clasico.
‘He asked me what I had done about tickets, but I explained I hadn’t sorted that out yet.’
But that would be when the Special One truly lived up to his name – quickly organising a hotel and VIP match tickets before handing Rodriguez a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work as kit man for the club.
‘”You come to with us and work as a kit man,” Mourinho told me,’ he continued.
Rodriguez, at his own request, was not paid for his work but collected mementos including signed shirts, balls and boots, as well as experiencing life behind the scenes at Madrid.
And during his time at Real, he became pals not only with Real players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka but also some of the biggest names in the world of football including Sir Alex Ferguson and Maradona.
He ‘worked’ for two matches – the clash with Barca, followed by Real’s victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford in the Champions League.
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