Jose Mourinho continues to be box office! On a day when a.) two of his former clubs (Chelsea and Manchester United) played each other and b.) his last former club (Tottenham Hotspur) suffered a major set back, Mourinho said something that made himself home page news again.
The AS Roma manager said that he has deep feelings for all of his former clubs, except one- Tottenham.
Tottenham vs Leeds FYIs
Kickoff: Sun May 28, 4:30pm, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Tottenham Hotspur Starting XI Prediction: go here
Team News for Both Sides: go here
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
If you’re scoring at home, Mourinho has managed 10 clubs, including his current one. (Wouldn’t it be great if he next took the vacant USA job? Would be a much more interesting and engaging hire than Jesse Marsch)
That means he has a deep emotional attachment to eight of his past nine clubs, and Spurs Chairman Daniel Levy one of the major reasons why.
“I hope the Tottenham fans don’t get me wrong but the only club in my career where I don’t have still a deep feeling for is Tottenham,” The Special One said.
“Probably because the stadium was empty, COVID time. Probably because Mr Levy [Spurs chairman Daniel Levy] didn’t let me win a final and win a trophy.
“But it’s the only one, so after that — Porto, Chelsea, Inter, Real Madrid, Manchester United — all the clubs I feel a connection.
“I go in the streets so many times in Italy and I find Inter fans. I go in London — not just the Chelsea fans but also the Man United fans. Real Madrid all over the world. It’s about the feeling that give you everything.”
Mourinho was sacked by Tottenham after just 17 months in charge, and a she pointed out, his dismissal came just a few days before the EFL Cup Final (against Manchester City), in April of 2021.
Jose Mourinho is a lot of things, but a trophy machine is certainly one descriptor near the top of the list.
His ill-fated Spurs stint marked the first time that the Portugese left a club without winning a trophy since 2002. Levy’s next two managerial hires after Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte, flopped badly.
Their manager search is going very poorly right now, to say the least, and they also have a vacancy at Sporting Director. (It’s complicated)
So Jose Mourinho is obviously kicking them when they’re down, and given how his tenure there went down, who can blame him?
Mourinho who has already won a trophy at his new/current club (UECL in his first season), continued talking about how much he the rest of his former employers.
“People think, ‘You cannot love every club.’ Yes, I love every club,” he said.
“I love every club because I felt the other way around — they also loved me. So with Roma, one day it will be hard but we will be connected forever like I am with all my previous clubs — apart [from] Mr. Levy’s club.”
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.