5 players who became superstars after Jose Mourinho sold them

#3. Leonardo Bonucci

Bonucci is considered one of the best defenders in the world

Jose Mourinho’s stint with Inter Milan was largely flawless as he won a historic treble with them in 2010. The only blemish would be his decision to sell Leonardo Bonucci.

The Italian was brought back to the club in the summer of 2008 when Mourinho was appointed Inter’s manager but Bonucci was immediately loaned out to Treviso playing in Serie B.

After a year on loan, he returned to Inter but was surplus to requirements as Mourinho’s centre-back options were Lúcio, Walter Samuel, Iván Córdoba and Marco Materazzi but all four of these players were on the wrong side of their thirties.

Bonucci was used as a makeweight in the deal to bring Diego Milito and Thiago Motta to the club from Genoa. He was later transferred to Bari through a co-ownership deal.

The centre-back moved to Juventus in 2010 and has gone on to become one of the best centre-backs in the world. In fact, Bonucci was one of the defenders Mourinho hoped to sign at Manchester United last summer.

The 31-year-old has won numerous trophies with Juventus, was named the Serie A footballer of the year in 2015/16 and named in the FIFPro World XI in 2017.