Gian Piero Gasperini joked he is in awe of Jose Mourinho's ability to convince his clubs to "spend large sums of money" before the pair meet in the Champions League.
Gasperini pokes at Mourinho's spending as Roma prepare for Madrid
Jose Mourinho will return to former club Roma when Real Madrid make the trip to Italy for Wednesday's Champions League clash.
Mourinho returns to former club Roma on Wednesday as Real Madrid prepare for their second game of this season's top European competition.
Gasperini insisted Mourinho will "deserve all the recognition he'll receive" from Roma supporters, but still aimed a slight jibe at Madrid's spending habits.
"Results speak for Jose. He’s one of the most successful coaches," Gasperini told Sky Sport Italia.
"If I had to take one thing, it would be his ability to persuade clubs to buy extraordinary players and spend large sums of money; that is extraordinary."
"He's very good for the rest too, and his results. But that remains a great ability."
Mourinho's record in this competition also speaks for itself. Madrid have only lost one of their 19 group/league phase matches in the Champions League under him (W15 D3).
Meanwhile, Roma have lost each of their last four games in the competition against Madrid without scoring a goal – their joint-longest losing streak against an opponent in the European Cup/Champions League.
"It's a bit difficult to have Real Madrid as a benchmark. In what they represent globally, they are the club with the most titles and the most fans worldwide," Gasperini added.
"So, this isn't the comparison we should focus on; it's what happens on the pitch. We recently played Inter and Como, two of Italy's best teams, and now we face one of the best in Europe and the world.
"Our target is to measure ourselves against them to understand how competitive we can be."
Mourinho guided Roma to Europa Conference League success in the 2021-22 season, winning the club's first trophy since 2008 and marking their maiden triumph in Europe.
But the Portuguese boss is not interested in sentiment as Madrid look to build on their 2-1 victory over Inter in their Champions League opener this campaign.
"It will be just another game. If I can forget who I'm playing against, and I'm doing that and will do it during the game, then it's just another game," Mourinho said in Tuesday's pre-match press conference.
"As I said before, we're not yet feeling the real pressure of the Champions League. Looking at what's still to come, I think Real Madrid and Roma will both qualify.
"Maybe before or after the game I'll put my hand on my heart, but during the game there will be no doubt. Roma want to win, and so do I. At that moment, love is forgotten."
