REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo
Jose Mourinho has dedicated his life to football and is of an age where he’s witnessed - either in-person or on television - most of the sport’s greatest players.
The revered Portuguese coach was seven when Pele won the 1970 World Cup, in his 20s when Diego Maradona inspired Argentina to glory at the 1986 World Cup, and has been very close to the careers of modern-day greats Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo over the past two decades.
Mourinho managed Ronaldo for three seasons at the Bernabeu. During that time, the Portuguese forward scored an astonishing 168 goals in 164 games.
But it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbow between the compatriots. Luka Modric once revealed: "I saw him [Jose Mourinho] make Cristiano Ronaldo cry in the locker room, a man who gives his all on the pitch, because for once he didn’t chase the opposing full-back. Mourinho is very direct with the players, but he’s honest. He treated Sergio Ramos and the new arrivals the same way: if he had to tell you something, he’d tell you."
And when Mourinho named his three greatest players in football history in 2016, Ronaldo missed the cut. Mourinho said:
Mourinho Named His 'God of Football'
Benfica coach Jose Mourinho looks on before a match
And just a few years later, in 2019, Mourinho went further: describing Messi as the “God of Football” after a typical masterclass for Barcelona while playing against Liverpool in the Champions League.
"Liverpool was brave in the approach," Mourinho told Russia Today. "I don't think in the past 20 years many teams in the Champions League beat Barcelona in ball possession in the Champions League.
"God of Football made it completely different. Of course [Barca] have a good team, phenomenal players, but that player is absolutely incredible.”
Mourinho: Messi Was a Nightmare
Action Images / Jason Cairnduff
On Netflix’s three-part docu-series MOURINHO, the Real Madrid boss admits Messi gave him “a nightmare” as he struggled to come up with a plan to thwart the Argentina genius.
Mourinho said: “I was having a nightmare. What can we do to stop him?”
Sami Khedira, one of Real Madrid’s midfielders who had the unenviable task of playing against peak Messi, added: “Preparing the games was so funny because we spoke for two minutes about Barcelona, then like 40 minutes about Lionel Messi.” Watch the clip below:
While Mourinho may have had some minor spats with Messi, he was acutely aware that he was witnessing greatness in front of his very eyes.
And it’s the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner who, in Mourinho’s eyes, has reached God-like status in the game.