Mourinho appears to mock Guardiola over career breaks in explosive Netflix interview

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José Mourinho and Pep Guardiola may no longer face each other every week, but one of football's greatest managerial rivalries clearly still has some life left in it.

Mourinho has delivered another typically provocative statement, this time while discussing his inability to walk away from football and his complete rejection of the idea of taking a sabbatical.

His comments feature in the new Netflix documentary The Special One, where the Portuguese coach discusses his career, his relationship with football and how long he intends to remain on the touchline.

And one particular comment immediately brought Guardiola to mind.

'A year off means weakness'

Mourinho was asked about eventually stepping away from coaching, but the Real Madrid boss admitted that he struggles even to picture such a moment.

"I can't even imagine when I will stop working in football. I say I will work for another ten years, but maybe it will be longer. It's fun."

At 63, Mourinho's hunger for trophies apparently remains unchanged.

"I want to win more trophies. I want to win where I have not been before and win again where I have been."

For Mourinho, football is still closely connected to the atmosphere and pressure that surround the biggest matches.

"My world is coming to a stadium with 50,000 or 90,000 fans. I have also played in front of 100,000 people. That is my world."

"Without football I feel like I am missing something. But I don't see it as an obsession. Once you reach a certain level, you simply want to stay there forever."

Then came the comment that is likely to generate considerably more attention.

"Some people need a year off. I hate that. I hate that term. For me, a year off means weakness."

Mourinho finished with an even more characteristic line.

"Don't talk to me about breaks. I never need a rest. I will rest when I die."

Was Mourinho talking about Guardiola?

Mourinho did not mention Guardiola by name in that part of the documentary, but the connection is difficult to ignore given their history.

Guardiola famously stepped away from coaching after leaving Barcelona in 2012.

After four hugely successful but exhausting seasons at Camp Nou, the Catalan moved to New York and spent approximately a year away from management before taking charge of Bayern Munich in 2013.

Following the end of his long spell with Manchester City, another period away from coaching has also been discussed.

Mourinho clearly belongs to a different school of thought.

A rivalry that defined an era

The relationship between Mourinho and Guardiola became particularly intense when they managed Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively.

Between 2010 and 2012, El Clásico became as much a tactical and psychological battle between the two coaches as a contest between the players.

Press conferences became part of the rivalry. Mourinho frequently challenged Guardiola publicly, while their teams competed for La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League.

The rivalry later continued in England when Guardiola took charge of Manchester City, and Mourinho became Manchester United manager.

Years have passed, but Mourinho has never completely lost his appetite for a provocative comment.

Mourinho still wants more trophies

The Portuguese coach's comments also reveal something more important about his own future.

Mourinho has no intention of slowing down.

After successful spells in Portugal, England, Italy and Spain, his motivation now comes partly from winning in places where he has not previously succeeded and returning to the top in familiar surroundings.

For a coach who has built much of his identity around competition, the idea of voluntarily spending an entire season away from football appears almost impossible to accept.

Guardiola once chose a year away from the touchline. Mourinho's verdict on such breaks is simple: "For me, a year off means weakness."