Sneijder hails 'father figure' Mourinho

Wesley Sneijder has hailed the influence of Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho on his career ahead of his return to the Bernabeu with Galatasaray.

The Turkish side face Real on Wednesday in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie, and Sneijder is looking forward to being reunited with his former manager as well as returning to his old stomping ground. The midfielder spent two years at Madrid before his departure in 2009 for Inter Milan, where he won the Champions League in 2010 under Mourinho.

"Mourinho is like a second father to me," said the Holland international, who is 19.00 to score first on Wednesday.

"Look, Mourinho is a powerhouse. In football we have powerhouses who are players, and ever since I met Mourinho, we can say that there are powerhouses who are managers. And he certainly is, without any doubt at all.

"He is a very special person for me. As a coach he is incredible, number one. It was he who gave me confidence, and I enjoyed playing football like never before. And as a person he reaches you much more than in his role as coach.

"Mourinho is a friend."

Galatasaray are 34.00 to take a 2-1 lead back to Turkey for next week's second leg, while a 1-1 draw can be backed at 15.00.

Don't forget, all Champions League matches are covered by the bet365 100% Euro Soccer Bonus, where you could earn a bonus of up to 100% on your returns on pre-match accumulator bets.

View all Soccer betting