Mourinho makes City claim

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has issued a snipe at Manchester City by claiming that they can't buy history by spending money.

The former Chelsea boss is preparing his side to face Roberto Mancini's Premier League champions in the group stages of this season's Champions League, starting with a September 18 showdown at the Bernabeu. And, while Mourinho acknowledges that the money spent on building up City's squad could see them lift European football's most prestigious trophy, he insists the best players all want to go to clubs like Real because of the history they have built up over the years. "Madrid, Barca and Bayern are all clubs that have a unique history," he said. "You can't buy that with money. The titles, the European Cups, the history, the fanbase, you can't achieve these things just by spending money. "And all the best players want to be at these clubs, at these three clubs and a few others that have hundreds of trophies between them."