In 2004, Jose Mourinho determined his place at Chelsea early on.
“We have the best players and I’m sorry if I’m arrogant, we have a top manager,” the Portuguese said at his first press conference at the Premier League club shortly after leading Porto to Champions League glory.
“Please don’t call me arrogant but I’m the European champion and I think I’m someone special.”
A demonic handsomeness with a demonic charm and natural bravado. Men wanted to be him. Women wanted to be good… you got the gist. Mourinho not only talked but walked in his first season by winning the EFL Cup and the Premier League.
This was Chelsea’s first domestic title in 50 years, and they set the record for most points (95) and few goals conceded (15) in a Premier League season at the time.
Mourinho was indeed the “Special One” and is undoubtedly his most famous phrase.
But there are others. Here are some classic Mourinho moments to celebrate his 60th birthday.
Declaring yourself in England
In the 2003-04 Champions League last 16 draw, with seconds to go, Mourinho’s Porto needed a goal at Old Trafford. Thinking about that night in March 2004, Mourinho told UEFA in 2015: “If we don’t score, we’re eliminated, if we score, we’re in, these are the details of qualifying.”
Benni McCarthy saw a long-range free kick parried by Tim Howard, and Costinha was ready to hammer home to silence the crowd. As his players charged towards one of the corners to celebrate, Mourinho jumped from the bench and galloped down the touchline with his arms in the air. Full-time, he was already making his way into the tunnel.
“We were in the locker room and it didn’t look like we were in the last 16, it was like the quarterfinals,” Mourinho remembers. “Then someone knocks on the door and it’s Sir Alex. [Ferguson] and captain Gary Neville and said congratulations to us, you deserve it, have fun and good luck.
“It was something we weren’t used to in Portuguese culture, but that’s something I hid, and I’ve done it several times in my career, when some opponents do something amazing against my team. Others feel special.
Wenger wars
Mourinho had a fierce rivalry with Arsene Wenger during his Premier League debut, even going so far as to say that the Arsenal boss was a voyeur.
“There are some guys who have this big telescope to see what’s going on in other families. He must be one of them,” Mourinho said.
to park the bus
You’d be forgiven for thinking that the term “bus parking” has been a common football phrase in England for many years. However, after Chelsea’s goalless draw by Tottenham, it was Mourinho who first introduced him.
“As we said in my country, they brought the bus and left it in front of the goal,” said Mourinho, who was not very happy with the Spurs’ defensive approach.
The phrase “park the bus” was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in October last year.
too many medals
It must be nice when you win enough to throw the medals away. Mourinho did just that after leading Chelsea to their second consecutive league title in 2006.
The feat marked Mourinho’s fourth consecutive domestic title, and after the winners’ medals were presented, he threw him and his suit jacket into the stands. He was immediately presented with another medal; which ended up in the crowd.
knee slippage
In Mourinho’s second season at Real Madrid, a late Cristiano Ronaldo goal beat Manchester City in the Champions League group stages, and Mourinho celebrated as best he could, jumping off the bench and slipping on his knees.
It was a match in the crowd that also saw former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher being scolded by the police. Rock ‘N’ Roll on and off the court.
Mourinho’s time in Madrid turned the next campaign upside down when he got into conflict with key players, including Ronaldo. “Maybe he thinks he knows everything and the coach can’t improve him anymore,” Mourinho said of his compatriot.
I prefer not to talk…
Mourinho’s second stint at Chelsea brought him a league title in the 2014-15 season, but he also introduced a quote that has lived on since then as an online meme and viral clip.
Chelsea lost 1-0 to Aston Villa in March 2014, expelling their team Willian and Ramires and saw a goal disallowed. Mourinho was also sent to the stands.
“I’d rather not talk,” he told Sky Sports. “If I talk, I’m in trouble, I’m in big trouble, and I’d rather not be in big trouble. If I talk, I’m accused of discrediting the game.”
Mourinho continued to talk about the referees for a few more minutes.
Gerrard’s slip
Mourinho famously ‘silenced’ Liverpool fans during his first spell at Chelsea when he faced the Reds, and it was the team that dealt a serious blow to Liverpool’s championship hopes in the 2013-14 season.
In April 2014, Liverpool had only three games left and a three-point lead over Manchester City. Yet a mistake by club great Steven Gerrard allowed Demba Ba to jump and give Chelsea the lead.
Chelsea scored a second late, causing Mourinho to attack down the touchline and celebrate in front of Kop. City went on to win the championship.
respect, respect, respect
Mourinho’s time as Manchester United manager has typically ended on a volatile note, and the signs have been there since the start of the 2018-19 season.
After losing 3-0 at home to Tottenham, Mourinho gave a stern response to his doubts as he stormed out of a press conference.
“Just to finish, you know what the result is – 3-0,” Mourinho said, raising three fingers. “It means 3-0. But it also means three Premier Leagues, more Premierships alone than the other 19 managers combined. Three for me, two for them. Respect, respect, respect.”
dele alert
Mourinho’s advice to Dele Alli was featured prominently in the Tottenham-focused All Or Nothing documentary series released in 2020.
Mourinho, who was with the Spurs at the time, said: “I am 56 now and I was 20 yesterday. Time flies.
“I don’t expect you to be the man of the match every game. I don’t expect you to score every game. I just want to say that you will regret it. You have to demand more of yourself.”
Less than 18 months after the documentary aired, Alli’s spell at Tottenham ended and he moved to Everton, initially a 25-year-old free transfer. Six months after that, he received heavy criticism with Beşiktaş in Turkey. performances.
Historian
As Mourinho celebrates his 60th anniversary, one thing cannot be denied – he will go down as one of the best managers to ever grace the game.
He joined Rome in 2021 and is doing what he does best. He won.
Last year, Roma won the European Conference League, making Mourinho the first coach to complete the UEFA trio by winning the Champions League, UEFA Cup/Europa League and European Conference League (replacing the defunct UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup).
He was the fifth to reach the finals of all three existing major European competitions, and the first to reach a major European final with four different clubs.
Mourinho’s record speaks for itself. He won 677 (62.9 percent) of his 1,076 matches as a coach, and his teams scored 2,082 goals.
After all, he is the Special One.