'In our generation he was the best' - Jose Mourinho on the one player he wishes he'd signed, best fans and more

Jose Mourinho has done just about all there is to do as a football manager during his long and ongoing career in the dugout.

He has taken charge of some of the biggest sporting franchises in the world and steered them to success, making a name for himself along the way.

Bursting onto the scene as the self-proclaimed ‘Special One’, he has never shied away from speaking his mind and has, at times, courted controversy.

But there is no arguing with his record. The 61-year-old’s roll of honour includes domestic titles in England, Spain and Italy, as well as European glory in the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League.

He has also scooped various individual awards and who is to say he won’t add to his legacy with Fenerbahce, where he was recently appointed.

Who better, then, to grill about a career in football most could only dream about? TNT Sports pundit Rio Ferdinand, who played many times against teams coached by Mourinho, put some quick-fire questions to the Portuguese manager and his answers didn’t disappoint.

While he has enjoyed plenty of success, a managerial stint as long as Mourinho’s is bound to come with some heartbreak.

And the incident that still haunts him is one that Chelsea fans won’t want to relive. Nearly 20 years on, the disappointment is likely to have dissipated, but what was one of the biggest Champions League controversies of all time won’t have been forgotten.

Asked about the moment he still thinks about to this day, Mourinho said: “The Champions League semi-final lost with a goal that was not a goal.”

We assume he is referring to what was dubbed the ‘ghost goal’ when Luis Garcia’s strike was adjudged to have crossed the line, helping Liverpool beat Chelsea in the 2005 semi-final.

As for his favourite goal, he picked one that occurred at Wembley in 2007 when Chelsea got the better of Manchester United in the FA Cup final.

“Because I’m here I think it was against you [Ferdinand],” Mourinho said. “[Didier] Drogba in minute 120. Game over. Maybe that one.”

He was also asked if there was a player he wishes he had signed but never did and replied: “In my generation I would say the little guy [Lionel Messi].

“The little guy was not coachable but I have to say in our generation he was the best.”

And what about the best atmosphere he’s experienced having been in all the game’s most iconic stadiums.

“I’ve been lucky,” he began. “I was not at Man United in the best moment of the club but Old Trafford is Old Trafford, Bernabeu is Bernabeu, San Siro is San Siro, Stamford Bridge, I’ve been very lucky.

“But I would say for a team not used to winning, Roma fans are so loyal to the team.”

What is your favourite stadium?

JM: “San Siro in Milano.”

What are you good at outside of football?

JM: “Nothing”

Describe yourself in three words…

JM: “Funny, honest, or at least I try to be, and forever young.”

Who is the most famous person in phonebook?

JM: “At the moment it’s the president of Fenerbahce.”

What is your favourite trophy?

JM: “The last one, the Conference League. It’s always the last one.”

What is the funniest thing a manager has said to you on the touchline?

JM: “Kid, don’t do this again.”

Have you ever been starstruck?

JM: “I really don’t know”

What is a football moment you still think about?

JM: “Champions League semi-final lost with a goal that was not a goal.”

Which actor would play you in a movie about your life?

JM: “It has to be a **** actor. Not a good one.”

What is the best meal you can cook?

JM: “I do amazing scrambled eggs, that’s my speciality.”

What is your favourite dressing room moment?

JM: “When I almost broke a leg at Stamford Bridge at half-time. I wanted to kick the massage table and hit something very hard. I had no shin pads and almost broke my leg.”

What is your favourite goal one of your teams have scored?

JM: “Because I’m here I think it was against you. [Didier] Drogba in minute 120. Game over. Maybe that one.”

Who is the player you never signed but with you did?

JM: “In my generation I would say the little guy [Lionel Messi]. The little guy was not coachable but I have to say in our generation he was the best.?

What is the best atmosphere you’ve experienced?

JM: “I’ve been lucky. Very, very lucky. I was not at Man United in the best moment of the club but Old Trafford is Old Trafford, Bernabeu is Bernabeu, San Siro is San Siro, Stamford Bridge, I’ve been very lucky.

“But I would say for a team not used to winning, Roma fans are so loyal to the team.”

Who is your favourite footballer you’ve managed?

JM: “Very hard to say, very unfair to say. I had so many in every club and not possible to win as much as I did without all these guys. So to speak about Terry, Lampard, Drogba at Chelsea; Ronaldo, Xabi Alonso; at Man United, I don’t know; all the Inter guys. Honestly, I don’t know.”

What was your favourite subject at school?

JM: “I was a bit lazy reading so maths was very simple, very objective.”

What is your favourite TV show?

JM: “Peaky Blinders.”

What is your favourite sport outside of football?

JM: “Tennis, Formula 1.”

Who is your best friend in football?

JM: “Also very unfair to say but maybe the guys that were with me in uni and left with me and at the same time had their careers very parallel to myself. So my friends Jose Peseiro, Jose Morais, these guys that left uni with me, you spend the best part of your youth together.”

Who is the greatest sportsperson of all time?

JM: “This is really difficult, almost impossible, but guys that for many different reasons – not just sport – they made history that cannot be deleted. Maybe in our generation I don’t know but I would say Jesse Owens.”

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