It was expected that Jose Mourinho would answer a question about the player who has most influenced his coaching career by choosing one of the stars he has coached at top clubs, but Special One surprised everyone with a completely unexpected choice.
Over the course of his career, Mourinho has coached some of the world’s biggest clubs, including Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Chelsea, and Manchester United. His career has declined since 2019, when he coached Tottenham, Roma, and most recently, Fenerbahçe.
In a media interview, Mourinho was asked about the player who has most influenced his career, and he surprisingly replied, “Lionel Messi.”
Of course, the next question was why he chose Messi and not, for example, Cristiano Ronaldo, whom he coached for three years at Real Madrid, or any of the stars from Real Madrid, Inter, or Chelsea.
Mourinho responded by saying, “Every time I played against him, he forced me to think a lot and intensively.”
Mourinho witnessed Messi’s early career when, as Chelsea manager, he faced Barcelona in the Champions League, then succeeded in stopping Messi with Inter, followed by numerous encounters with Real Madrid in various tournaments.
