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Jose Mourinho Moved Inter Milan Training To Afternoons So Maicon Could Recover From Being Drunk

Jose Mourinho Moved Inter Milan Training To Afternoons So Maicon Could Recover From Being Drunk

“Mourinho once called the lads together and asked them, ‘How can we get Maicon in position?’"

Alex Reid

Alex Reid

Jose Mourinho changed Inter Milan's Monday training routine to evenings, so that Maicon could recover from his weekend's partying.

The rampaging right-back was a key part of Mourinho's Treble-winning Inter team in 2009/10, playing over 50 games that season.

However the Portuguese manager was reportedly forced to make a big decision after the Brazilian international would turn up struggling on a Monday (we've all been there). It's a change that involved the whole team.

"At Inter, Mourinho had a player who was often drunk on Mondays: Maicon," said Romanian attacker Ianis Zicu, who was with Inter between 2004 and 2010, as reported in Football Italia.

"Mourinho once called the lads together and asked them, 'How can we get Maicon in position?'

"After that, he decided to move the session to the evening. And that's how it went.

"They didn't train in the morning, but they did in the evening so that Maicon could recover for training.

"These situations can happen in a team, and that team must make a decision."

Brazilian footballers have reputations for being wildly talented - which Maicon undoubtedly was - but also enjoying life off the pitch.

Mourinho also had a reputation for knowing how to get the best out of players. His Inter team - which contained the likes of Wesley Sneijder, Javier Zanetti and Samuel Eto'o - were fiercely loyal to him.

However it's important to note that the source, Zicu, never played a first-team game for Inter and spent the majority of time their on loan at other clubs. So we can't be sure whether he witnessed this first-hand or heard it from his Inter teammates.

Maicon was initially linked with a move to Real Madrid after Mourinho left Italy to join the Spanish giants for the 2010/11 season. But the move never came off.

Instead the 76-cap Brazilian stayed at Inter, had a few run-ins with a young Gareth Bale he might rather forget, before a brief stint with Manchester City in 2012/13.

The 39-year-old is apparently still playing for Serie D side Sona (with his son playing at the academy).

So - whatever Maicon's training rituals may be - they clearly haven't stopped him having a long and highly successful career.

All imagery: PA Images

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Topics: Football News, Jose Mourinho, Football, Serie A, Inter Milan