Jose Mourinho once revealed who his favourite players he has coached during his managerial career have been – and you may be surprised by his choices.
Mourinho, 62, is currently head coach of Istanbul-based giants Fenerbahce and already boasts an illustrious managerial career having managed the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester United and Chelsea.
During his time at the clubs mentioned ‘The Special One’ managed a plethora of world-class footballers from Frank Lampard, John Terry and Didier Drogba at Chelsea to Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Mesut Ozil at Real Madrid. But he included five United players when naming his ten ‘favourite players’ to coach across the clubs he managed.
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He gave his take when asked who he most enjoyed coaching by former Red Devils defender Rio Ferdinand.
"The players I most enjoyed are the players that gave me everything,” he said when speaking on VIBE with FIVE.
"There are dozens and dozens and dozens. And they are maybe not the most talented ones but they gave everything... the ones that I felt could not give anything more than what they gave. These are my players.
"I don't want to be unfair with people but, when you play a kid, the kid becomes your kid for life. That's always my feeling. I look to Raphael Varane, now, at the end of his career. He is my kid.
"When I look to Scott McTominay... [Paul] Pogba was on the bench and I played him in Seville. He is my boy. When I go from club to club, I find my boys. And they will always be my boys."
“Then there are the big stars,” he added. “My captains. [John] Terry, [Javier] Zanetti and Jorge Costa. These are the guys that play through anything. They are phenomenal.
"Then there are the stars that make the difference, even when people think you are the genius. You are not the genius. They are.
“They win matches for you. Cristiano [Ronaldo], [Karim] Benzema, [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic and Didier [Drogba]. They make you feel like a genius."
In the same interview, the Portuguese revealed how he made Ronaldo, 39, into a prolific goal scorer during his time working with him at Madrid.
"I think you don't coach,” Mourinho explained. “I don't have to teach much, it is about being happy, it is about creating an environment by the tactical point of view, by the idea of football where the player can show his best.
"I think Madrid, for him, was a little bit of a transition because, for you, he was a winger.
"Right winger, left winger, out wide, dribbling, attacking people, beating people.
"In Madrid, he became more the goal scorer he was for the rest of his career.
"In fact, probably the first time he played as a striker in a big match was Real Madrid vs Barcelona in the cup final where he scored an amazing goal, an amazing header in extra-time.
"Probably that was the beginning of people having a feeling that animal could be a goal scorer and not just a pure winger.
"Madrid was a little bit of that, a little bit hybrid because he was playing from the left, but he was not wide, and he was not chasing full-backs.
"We were protecting him with the balance that we were giving behind with Xabi Alonso and Sami Khedira."
Topics: Jose Mourinho, Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Chelsea, Football, Champions League
Luke Davies