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Jose Mourinho is unarguably amongst the greatest managers ever. The Portuguese legend has won what many coaches can only dream of. You can love Jose Mourinho, or hate him but you definitely cannot ignore him. Here are few of the quotes about Jose Mourinho from the other big names in the world of football.
“It is a disappointment for the game. He was terrific for football and terrific for Chelsea. I enjoyed the competition with him. He was something fresh and new to our game. I don’t know what I will do with my wine now. I wish him well.”
– Sir Alex Ferguson, after Mourinho’s sacking from helm at Chelsea in 2007
“It’s difficult to find a defect in Mourinho. Perhaps he is a little introverted, but he is marvellous.”
– Massimo Moratti
“The following year, he left Inter for Real Madrid, and at the same time he and Materrazzi parted ways. Materazzi is about the world’s toughest defender. As he hugged Mourinho, though, he began to cry, and I can understand him in a way. Mourinho arouses feelings in people…”
“He’s the manager who had more influence on me (than Arsene Wenger). Why? Because he was the one who impressed me most on his work ethic. He knew everything about the opposition, the strength, weakness. His detail was unbelievable; everything was so clear about what he wanted from each player. I don’t know what happened at Chelsea but he always got the best out of his players.”
– Patrick Viera
“I have very good memories of working with Mourinho; he raised our competitive level. It wasn’t a dark period. Under him, we returned to our rightful place”
– Florentino Perez
“It is unfair really. He’s good looking, he’s got that sort of George Clooney bit in his hair now. But I think he is a great example, he can speak five languages or whatever he can. He goes and becomes an interpreter for Bobby Robson, follows him to Barcelona, works under Louis Van Gaal; he is learning all the time. He has got a determination, he wants to be a coach. He never played the game, by the way – you tell me how many presidents would give a manager a job who has never played the game? None. But he has done it. Then he goes and manages a small team in Portugal, then goes to Porto and wins the league, wins the Uefa Cup, wins the European Cup, goes to Chelsea and wins the league. Goes to Inter Milan. That is an example to anyone who wants to do well, you shouldn’t let the barriers get in your way if you want to get there.”
“It was clear that, tactically, he could set up his team to win any football match. He could spoil, he could fight, he could do whatever you needed because he was a pure winner. But, more than that, he created a special bond with each squad he managed. You heard it in the way his players spoke about him. You saw it in the way they played for him.”
“I’m not a fan of Mourinho’s playing style, but he has a fascinating personality. He’s very intelligent, has an incredible charisma and a special way of dealing with things. [ . . . ] He always deflects the attention to him – not only for his ego, but to take the pressure away from the players. People talk mostly about Mourinho, despite him having world champions in his side.”
– Eric Cantona
“Mourinho is like a second father to me. 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 Coaches. 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.”
– Wesley Sneijder
“For me, Jose was the best. He was the first manager I came across to have a particular way. He knew whether a player needed a leg-up or a rollocking. He formed a spirit among the team that was formidable. We didn’t have a group mentality to win the league but he brought that in. And we have seen the same thing happening for him at Inter Milan and with his Real Madrid team.”
– Frank Lampard
“Mourinho puts out a winning team, it doesn’t matter if it’s done with nice football or not.”
– Arjen Robben
“He’d (scout Sporting Lisbon’s upcoming opponents and) come back and hand me a dossier that was absolutely first class. As good as anything I’d received. Here he was, in his early thirties, never been a player or a coach to speak of, giving me reports that were as good as anything I ever got.”
– Sir Bobby Robson
“Mourinho had studied the game for a long time before, watching other teams, and the good thing was that everything we did in training happened in the game, which gave players confidence in the coach. When you have been prepared for each situation that could happen, it means you are more prepared than the other team.”
– Deco
“(He was) an arrogant young man, who didn’t respect authority that much, but I did like that of him. He was not submissive – he used to contradict me when I was in the wrong. Finally, I wanted to hear what he had to say and ended up listening to him more than any of the assistants.”
“He was excellent in his three years at Barca. They said he was a translator. Rubbish. He was the assistant coach, someone who understood the philosophy of Barca and who shared many of the same characteristics of Van Gaal. He was very respected by the players. He trained us sometimes alone at Barca B and he was excellent. I’m surprised that he became known for another type of football, more defensive, because he wasn’t like that with us.”
– Xavi
“I’ve never met a manager with that kind of knowledge about the opposing sides… We all sensed it immediately: This guy knows his stuff. I felt increasingly that this guy gives everything for the team, so I want to give everything for him. It was a quality he had. People were willing to kill for him.”
[Ibrahimovic’s final conversation at Inter Milan]
Zlatan: “Thanks. You’ve taught me a lot.”
Mourinho: “You’re going to Barca to win the Champions [League], huh?”
Zlatan: “Yeah, maybe.”
Mourinho: “But we’re the ones who’re gonna bring it home – don’t forget. It’s gonna be us!”
– Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who then left for Barca prior to Inter Milan’s treble winning season
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