Jose Mourinho 10 Classic Quotes

Italy v England: 10 Classic Jose Mourinho Quotes
As part of our Italy v England Champions League coverage, Goal.com chronicles some of the juiciest sound bites of one of the most quotable men in football...
23 Feb 2009 12:50:05

Here are some of Jose Mourinho's best...

[10]"I studied Italian five hours a day for many months to ensure I could communicate with the players, media and fans. [Claudio] Ranieri had been in England for five years and still struggled to say ‘good morning’ and ‘good afternoon.'

"He has won a Super Cup, a small cup. He has never won a major trophy. Maybe he needs to change his mindset but he is too old to do it."

After the Juventus boss hinted at criticism of the coaching methods of Mourinho, Jose went on the offensive in the summer of 2008. He also estimated the former Chelsea manager's age to be 70 years old, with his tongue firmly in cheek.

[9]"If I had wanted to be protected in a quiet job, I could have stayed at Porto. I would have been second, after God, in the eyes of the fans even if I had never won another thing."

Upon his arrival at Chelsea in 2004, Jose had the hacks purring with his quotability. Above is just one of the nuggets he came out with when asked about his decision to take on a high profile gig at Stamford Bridge.

Two for one next; in the wake of Chelsea's two-legged win over Barcelona in the Champions League in 2005, Jose unleashed a flurry against Barca coach, Frank Rijkaard. The first leg was won in Catalunya by the hosts, which had Mourinho fuming at his opposite number and kicking up a storm over his allegations against referee, Anders Frisk.

[8]"When I saw Rijkaard entering the referee's dressing room I couldn't believe it. When Didier Drogba was sent off  I wasn't surprised."

[=]“My history as a manager cannot be compared with Frank Rijkaard’s history. He has zero trophies and I have a lot of them.”

[7]"For me, pressure is bird flu. I'm feeling a lot of pressure with the problem in Scotland. It's not fun and I'm more scared of it than football."

Jose responds to the 'pressure' on his Chelsea camp as the 2006 season reaches its climax.

[6] “As for Lo Monaco I do not know who he is. With the name Monaco I have heard of Bayern Monaco (Munich) and the Monaco GP, the Tibetan Monaco (Monk), and the Principality of Monaco. I have never heard of any others.”

Proving that he is still capable of mixing it in a non-native tongue, this time in Italian, after Catania president Pietro Lo Monaco claimed  he wanted to 'smack [Mourinho] in the mouth' following Inter's November 2008 Serie A win in Sicily.

[5] "I think he is one of these people who is a voyeur. He likes to watch other people. There are some guys who, when they are at home, have a big telescope to see what happens in other families. He speaks, speaks, speaks about Chelsea."

Besmirching Arsene Wenger's reputation in October 2005, a remark for which Jose later apologised.

[4] “As we say in Portugal, they brought the bus and they left the bus in front of the goal. I would have been frustrated if I had been a supporter who paid £50 to watch this game because Spurs came to defend.”

Accusing Tottenham Hotspur of failing to make a game of it in the wake of a 2004 Premier League tie, coining another catch-phrase in the process.

The animosity that existed between Jose and his compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo was well documented; in April 2007, the coach came out with this scathing criticism.

[3] "It's not even a game between me and him. It's a game where a kid made some statements not showing maturity and respect. Maybe [it's his] education, difficult childhood, no education, maybe [it is] the consequence of that."

The two have since patched up their differences, but Mourinho could not resist a dig against his forthcoming foe when all the talk concerned the Madeira native's Ballon d'Or win.

[2] "Ronaldo is a good player but he is certainly not the best. He deserved the Golden Ball award because his team won the Champions League and the Premier League. But, for me, Ibrahimovic is the best."

And the quote that launched a thousand opinions; When he arrived at Chelsea as Champions League-winning manager, some doubts existed over his suitability to work, and indeed, win in the Premier League. Water off a duck's back, the phrase goes.

[1] “Please don’t call me arrogant, but I’m European champion and I think I’m a special one.”

Sources: Dez, The Independent, The Guardian, BBC Sport, The Times, Wikiquote