Touching picture: Joaquín making a substitution and the opposing coach Mourinho hugging him. I admire him, he plays football for love, says the Portuguese

Joaquín is a huge icon. Both of Real Betis and of Spanish football. At 41, he is consistently playing at the highest level and was praised for that on Thursday by the opposing coach, José Mourinho.

While in La Liga Joaquín is used more as a joker by coach Manuel Pellegrini, in the Europa League his place is secure. He has started with HJK, Ludogorets, where he scored, and most recently with AS Roma.

At 41 years old, he can consistently stay on top and as captain of Betis he is valid not only in the booth but also on the pitch. Against Ludogorets, for example, he became the oldest goalscorer in the history of European Cups.

He also gave a decent performance in the duel between AS Roma and Betis. When he left the pitch in the 60th minute, he earned not only the applause of the visiting fans, but also the admiration of the visiting coach. And not just any coach, because Jose Mourinho leads the Roman team.

As Joaquín left the pitch, Mourinho stopped him and gave him a warm hug. The video subsequently went viral.

“Joaquín is fantastic. He’s 41 years old and he still plays with great passion, he still has great quality. When you look at him, you can’t even tell he’s 41. He still plays for the love of football, he doesn’t care about money, I have a lot of respect for him,” Mourinho said in a post-match interview.

“Yes, I play football for love, for the love of these colours, for the pride of being able to wear the Real Betis jersey,” Joaquín agreed. And what did Mourinho actually say to him during the hug?

“He congratulated me, he hugged me, we have a great admiration for each other, we have known each other for several years. It’s especially satisfying for me that a coach like José Mourinho, with all the success he has had, hugs you and congratulates you, it’s an amazing feeling,” Joaquín revealed.

Source: Tiktok, Real Betis