One of football’s most combustible characters, Mourinho is hyperbolically entertaining, full of sound bite gold. As a funny man who has an unprecedented level of confidence, and a never tiring attitude towards winning, the Portuguese manager has definitely entrenched himself in every club he is associated with. Porto, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Spurs and the latest destination Fenerbahce, Mourinho’s quotes are as famous as his accomplishments. Further, presented below are some of his most memorable quotes based on the clubs he has dealt with throughout his career.
The "Special One" Era: Mourinho at Chelsea
Mourinho burst into the Premier League with unmatched swagger, instantly setting the tone for his reign at Chelsea:
On his self-belief:
“Please do not call me arrogant because what I say is true. I'm European champion. I'm not one out of the bottle, I think I'm a special one.”
Reflecting on his Porto days:
“If I wanted to have an easy job… I would have stayed at Porto – beautiful blue chair, the UEFA Champions League trophy, God, and after God, me.”
On Chelsea’s unbeaten start to the season:
“Everybody is crying that Chelsea keep winning and winning and winning, so I think that draw at Goodison Park makes everyone more happy. It gives people more hope and brings to the Premiership what everybody was waiting for.”
On team unity:
“The team is completely close. Anything you say outside, there is no chance it will go inside. So the team is really strong and compact. We know what we want and how to achieve it on the pitch.”
On individual brilliance versus teamwork:
“I don’t want special relations with one of them [his players]. I hate to speak about individuals. Players don’t win you trophies, teams win trophies, squads win trophies.”
A philosophical take on injuries:
“It is like having a blanket that is too small for the bed. You pull the blanket up to keep your chest warm and your feet stick out. I cannot buy a bigger blanket because the supermarket is closed. But I am content because the blanket is cashmere. It is no ordinary blanket.”
On Arsène Wenger’s lack of silverware:
“If he is right and I am afraid of failure it is because I didn’t fail many times. Eight years without silverware, that's failure. He's a specialist in failure. If I do that in Chelsea, eight years, I leave and don't come back.”
Mourinho’s Madrid Musings
At Real Madrid, Mourinho was tasked with managing one of the most demanding clubs in football. His quotes during this period reveal his humor, confidence, and philosophy:
Introducing himself to Spain:
“I am José Mourinho, and I don’t change. I arrive with all my qualities and my defects.”
On pressure:
“I am prepared. The more pressure there is, the stronger I am. In Portugal, we say the bigger the ship, the stronger the storm. Fortunately for me, I have always been in big ships. FC Porto was a very big ship in Portugal, Chelsea was also a big ship in England, and Inter was a great ship in Italy. Now I’m at Real Madrid, which is considered the biggest ship on the planet.”
On magic versus reality:
“Look, I’m a coach. I’m not Harry Potter. He is magical, but in reality, there is no magic. Magic is fiction and football is real.”
On rivalries:
“Barcelona is a cultural city with many great theatres, and this boy [Andrés Iniesta] has learned very well. He’s learned to act.”
On his approach to matches:
“In football, if you don’t have the ball, you must defend. If you’re not well organized, you will concede. It’s that simple.”
Tottenham and Beyond
Mourinho’s later years in the Premier League showed a more reflective side but never lacked his trademark wit:
On learning from past mistakes:
“I'm not going to make the same mistakes. I'm going to make new mistakes.”
On Mauricio Pochettino’s departure:
“He will find happiness soon. He will give everything like he did at this club. He will leave with sadness with the feeling that he did great work. It is what everyone at the club felt.”
On Sir Alex Ferguson:
“But he is a great manager, he is clever and used his power and his prestige. The referee should not allow it. I have a lot of respect for Ferguson. I call him boss because he is the manager’s boss. Maybe when I become 60, the kids will call me the same.”
On criticism from Claudio Ranieri:
“I studied Italian five hours a day for many months to ensure I could communicate with the players, media, and fans. Ranieri had been in England for five years and still struggled to say ‘good morning’ and ‘good afternoon.’”
On his footballing dictionary:
“Fear is not a word in my football dictionary.”
On his perspective of himself:
“He [God] must think I’m a great guy. He must think that because otherwise he would not have given me so much.”