Jose Mourinho Quotes & Sayings

He is the best. The best in the world, yes. Probably the best ever. I saw Maradona a couple of times. I never saw Pele. But Cristiano is amazing. This man is the best ... Cristiano is a goals machine. He is an incredible player. He is like Zidane, there will never be another Ronaldo. — Jose Mourinho

I'm not a defender of old or new football managers. I believe in good ones and bad ones, those that achieve success and those that don't. — Jose Mourinho

I want to congratulate again Mike Dean. I think his performance was unbelievable and I think when referees have unbelievable performances, I think it's fair that as managers we give them praise. So fantastic performance. — Jose Mourinho

If I am hated at Barcelona, it is their problem but not mine. Fear is not a word in my football dictionary. — Jose Mourinho

The world is so competitive, aggressive, consumive, selfish and during the time we spend here we must be all but that. — Jose Mourinho

A player who dives and wins a penalty in Portugal, or Spain or Italy is considered clever, experienced, cunning, someone who understands the game. In England a player who wins a penalty like that is a cheat. — Jose Mourinho

I won't say we have to win. I won't put that pressure. But we can't lose. — Jose Mourinho

Chelsea are up there with best teams in the world,and let's hope United can join us in quarter-finals. — Jose Mourinho

If I wanted to have an easy job, working with the big protection of what I have already done before, I would have stayed at Porto - beautiful blue chair, the Uefa Champions League trophy, God, and after God, me. — Jose Mourinho

I hate to speak about individuals. Players don't win you trophies, teams win trophies, squads win trophies. — Jose Mourinho

And I think because of the passion of every English player and every English supporter, and every English journalist for the game, most of the game is played with passion, love for football and instinct, but in football you also have to think. — Jose Mourinho

So if one day the result becomes 3-3, for me it doesn't change my mind, because it's football, it's normal. What is not normal is that we haven't been scoring enough goals playing such good football as we've been playing in the last few weeks. — Jose Mourinho

You have to work hard AND well. There are a lot of people who work hard but not well. — Jose Mourinho

When I was at Porto my team also played in the UEFA Cup final against a Scottish side - but it was Celtic. I've never seen such emotional people. It was unbelievable! — Jose Mourinho

It gave the title to Manchester City - it's as simple as that. — Jose Mourinho

When the players think you are strong and that you trust them, it helps them to have a good attitude, — Jose Mourinho

The only thing I would like is to have more control of the game in terms of possession. — Jose Mourinho

If Roman Abramovich helped me out in training we would be bottom of the league and if I had to work in his world of big business, we would be bankrupt! — Jose Mourinho

We all want to play great music all the time, but if that is not possible, you have to hit as many right notes as you can. — Jose Mourinho

The title race is between two horses and a little horse that needs milk and needs to learn how to jump. — Jose Mourinho

When I face the media, maybe I don't feel it now, here with you, because it's a different sort of interview, but when I face the media before or after the game, I feel it as part of the game. — Jose Mourinho

This is football from the 19th century. It's very difficult to play a football match when only one team wants to play. A football match is about two teams playing. I told Big Sam, they need points. To come here the way they did, is that acceptable? Maybe it is, they need points. The only thing I could bring more was Black & Decker - a Black & Decker to destroy the West Ham wall. — Jose Mourinho

You have to win and especially, as I have, you have to win a trophy for the first time. — Jose Mourinho

I don't say we are a defensive team. I say we are a strong team in defensive terms, but at the same time lacking sufficient fluidity in attack because that will take time to come. — Jose Mourinho

So I know all about the ups and downs of football, I know that one day I will be sacked. — Jose Mourinho

As we say in Portugal, they brought the bus and they left the bus in front of the goal. — Jose Mourinho

The problem with Chelsea is I lack a striker. I have Samuel Eto'o but he is 32 years old - maybe 35, who knows? — Jose Mourinho

Drogba is a fighter. He is the kind of player I would say 'With you I could go to every war.' — Jose Mourinho

One day he (Einstein) said that the only mechanical force more powerful than steam, electricity and atomic energy is will. That Alberto bloke was not stupid. With will you can achieve things. — Jose Mourinho

If you look at revenge we are still winning three one you know, so I don't think it is a question of revenge, is a question of a personal thing — Jose Mourinho

I must try to hide my emotions. I have to live with both the victory and the defeat. — Jose Mourinho

Like me or not, I am the only one who has won the world's three most important leagues. So, maybe instead of the 'Special One', people should start calling me the 'Only One'. — Jose Mourinho

With all the stones being thrown against me you could build a monument! — Jose Mourinho

Sometimes you see beautiful people with no brains. Sometimes you have ugly people who are intelligent, like scientists. — Jose Mourinho

If Messi is the best on the planet, Ronaldo is the best in the universe. — Jose Mourinho

My history as a manager cannot be compared with Frank Rijkaard's history. He has zero trophies and I have a lot of them. — Jose Mourinho

You are pushed to behave differently here, you don't really have a choice. If you cheat you have no chance of being admired. Even your own supporters will dislike you. So what do you do? Well, the way is not to be stupid, but not to cheat either. If there is a foul, you have to fall. I call it 'helping the referee to make a decision'. That's not cheating. — Jose Mourinho

Facing the press is not easy, but because you have to go, you have to try to take a lot of positive things for yourself from these face-to-face meetings. — Jose Mourinho

I remember the first time I saw him play. It was for a Sporting CP youth team. I told my assistant, 'There goes Van Basten's son.' Ronaldo had great technique. He stood out. — Jose Mourinho

Wenger has been Arsenal's coach for 15 years but he hasn't won even a Carling Cup for six years. Benitez hasn't won a league title in six years but they continue to keep him as Liverpool's coach. This is not the Italian mentality. To stay here I must continue winning and do well. — Jose Mourinho

I was nine or 10 years old and my father was sacked on Christmas Day. He was a manager, the results had not been good, he lost a game on December 22 or 23. On Christmas Day, the telephone rang and he was sacked in the middle of our lunch. — Jose Mourinho

The moral of the story is not to listen to those who tell you not to play the violin but stick to the tambourine. — Jose Mourinho

Ranieri? He's right in what he says: I am very demanding of myself and I need to win to be secure about things. That's why I've won so many trophies in my career. He, on the other hand, has the mentality of someone who doesn't need to win and at nearly 70 years old he has won a Supercoppa and another small cup. He's too old to change his mindset. — Jose Mourinho

Especially when you play at home, you need a good atmosphere behind you. — Jose Mourinho

Money does not guarantee success. — Jose Mourinho

People don't know about football. They think they know about it but they don't know much. — Jose Mourinho

I don't have to be jealous of Barcelona because they have 100 years of history and have won the European Cup once. I have only been managing for five years and I have the same amount of Champions League trophies to my name. — Jose Mourinho

Look at my haircut. I am ready for the war. The objective is to win the Premiershp. I don't want to dominate, to finish without defeat, record points or goals or consecutive wins. The Premiership is so difficult you cannot be focused on that. I just think about winning. — Jose Mourinho

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. — Jose Mourinho

The only way to stop Messi is to double mark him. One player to stay on him and the other to help out. — Jose Mourinho

The way I use to develop an aerobic condition is three against three, man to man, in a square 20 metres by 20. — Jose Mourinho

A great pianist doesn't run around the piano or do push ups with his fingers. To be great, he plays the piano ... being a footballer is not about running, push-ups or physical work generally. The best way to be a great footballer is to play. — Jose Mourinho

The reality is he's a specialist because eight years without a piece of silverware ... that is failure. — Jose Mourinho

Three years without a Premiership title? I don't think I would still be in a job. — Jose Mourinho

At the very least we should be given a bit of credit and a little bit of space, and maybe the media should think we could help them discover why English teams do not win European competitions. — Jose Mourinho

Four wins in four matches. It could not be better ... the world is fantastic. — Jose Mourinho

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. — Jose Mourinho

The best way to stop Messi is when you play with 11 men and then you can double mark him, one player to stay on him and the other to help out. If it is 11 against 10 then you have almost no chance of stopping him. — Jose Mourinho

To be the ultimate team, you must use your body and your mind. Draw up on the resources of your teammates. Choose your steps wisely and you will win. Remember, only teams succeed. — Jose Mourinho

It's a pity we can't play in two or three days as I like to play straight away after a bad game — Jose Mourinho

I asked the players: 'Do you want to enjoy the game? Or do you want to enjoy after the game?' The players told me they wanted to enjoy after the game so I said: 'OK, then we will enjoy after the game'. — Jose Mourinho

Football is a game about feelings and intelligence. — Jose Mourinho

My family love living in London. It is a fantastic city and a city such as this deserves to host the Olympic Games. — Jose Mourinho

We are on top at the moment but not because of the club's financial power. We are in contention for a lot of trophies because of my hard work. — Jose Mourinho

Eleven against eleven they never beat us. — Jose Mourinho

If you're not a big club, you choose one competition and you fight in that competition and forget the others. Big clubs - we cannot do this — Jose Mourinho

Maybe next season we can race. — Jose Mourinho

Ten years ago I also had a very difficult decision to make when we had (Carlo) Cudicini giving fantastic performances in Chelsea's goal for many years. I had in my hands a 22-year-old goalkeeper I thought could be in Chelsea's goals for years and years and years and this situation is quite similar. — Jose Mourinho

In the same way that I had to follow an Italian manager here, I can imagine that it was not easy for an Italian manager to follow me at Porto. — Jose Mourinho

He is someone I respect [Beckham] as a man and as a player. He is the captain of England and has been a European champion. I have never been critical of him and reports implying that are incorrect as I've never made comments about him — Jose Mourinho

You see how Spanish, Italians, Portuguese play football. I don't say they are perfect, I say English football has a few things to learn from them in the same way they have a lot of things to learn from English football. — Jose Mourinho

Everybody was waiting for Chelsea not to win every game and one day when we lose there will be a holiday in the country. But we are ready for that. — Jose Mourinho

Dogs bark and the caravan goes by. — Jose Mourinho

Please don't call me arrogant, but I'm European champion and I think I'm a special one. — Jose Mourinho

Everybody can be smart. — Jose Mourinho

Unhappy is a nice word. — Jose Mourinho

I think the best place to work in football is England. — Jose Mourinho

I am Jose Mourinho and I don't change. I arrive with all my qualities and my defects. — Jose Mourinho

Look at the way teams play against Arsenal. They don't believe they can win. They don't believe. — Jose Mourinho

In my teams, when we win, we all win, and when we lose, I lose — Jose Mourinho

Pressure? What pressure? Pressure is poor people in the world trying to feed their families. There is no pressure in football — Jose Mourinho

If at the end of the season I'm leaving the club, you have the right to come to me and say: 'Jose, you are a liar' — Jose Mourinho

So when they have Mourinho and Benitez joining the Premiership they should say it's good for us, maybe these guys have something new to give. — Jose Mourinho

But the most important part of everything is to be happy. — Jose Mourinho

If you want me to rule out ever being Manchester United manager, I can't. Special clubs need special managers, so in theory it could work. — Jose Mourinho

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 the blanket I have is made of cashmere. So it's good. — Jose Mourinho

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. — Jose Mourinho

We want to follow a dream, yes it's true, but it's one thing to follow a dream and another to follow an obsession ... A dream is more pure than obsession. A dream is about pride. — Jose Mourinho

It is like when you go to war: we have to know how our enemies attack and defend. — Jose Mourinho

I followed an Italian manager and it cannot be easy when you follow a manager who thinks very differently. — Jose Mourinho

Fear is not a word in my football documentary. — Jose Mourinho

It's not important how we play. If you have a Ferrari and I have a small car, to beat you in a race I have to break your wheel or put sugar in your tank. — Jose Mourinho

Football is a game based on emotion and intelligence. Anyone can be clever, the trick is not to think the other guy is stupid. — Jose Mourinho

The dog is in Portugal and the city of London is safe. — Jose Mourinho

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. — Jose Mourinho

I feel I have a lot to learn from English football and I am completely open to good influences in my way of thinking football. But I also have things to give them. — Jose Mourinho

I think it's clearly the result of something that looks like a campaign. — Jose Mourinho

Instead of speaking about Real Madrid, Mr Wenger should speak about Arsenal and explain how he lost 2-0 against a team in the Champions League for the first time [Braga]. The history about the young kids is getting old now. Sagna, Clichy, Walcott, Fabregas, Song, Nasri, Van Persie, Arshavin are not kids. They are all top players. — Jose Mourinho

There is no pressure at the top. The pressure is being second or third. — Jose Mourinho

To me, attacking football happens when Makelele gets the ball and passes it to the central defender who passes it to the right-back who comes forward and judges the situation. If he can do something he passes forward or runs with the ball, if not he gives it back to Makelele who builds the attack again. That is attacking football. In England attacking football is giving the ball to Makelele and having him hit it forward no matter what, even if everybody is marked. — Jose Mourinho