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Jose Mourinho has never shied away from playing mind games with his adversaries. He is renowned for picking fights with those in the opposing dug-out, with Antonio Conte joining Arsene Wenger, Rafa Benitez, Manuel Pellegrini and Pep Guardiola in being on the receiving end of barbs from The Special One.
It is fast becoming one of the biggest spats between managers in the Premier League. The current Manchester United manager considers press conferences as a vital part of the tactics that he deploys to win a contest, be it a short-term or a long-term rivalry with the rival managers.
He has been involved in several prickly bust-ups with the opponents in the past. Here are 5 best put-downs of the rival managers by Jose Mourinho in press conferences:
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#5 Claudio Ranieri
Antonio Conte labelled Jose Mourinho a 'little man' and accused him of being 'fake' by citing Claudio Ranieri's example. "I remember with Ranieri when Mourinho offended him for his English, and then when Ranieri was sacked he put on a shirt for Ranieri. You are fake, you are fake," Conte said.
Jose Mourinho was involved in a bitter spat with Claudio Ranieri during his Inter spell in 2008. In a remarkable tirade, Mourinho said, "Ranieri? I guess he is right with what he said I have been very demanding of myself and I have to win to be sure of things."
"This is why I have won so many trophies in my career. Ranieri, on the other hand, has the mentality of someone who does not need to win. "
He is almost 70 years old. He has won a Supercup and another small trophy and he is too old to change his mentality. He is old and he has not won anything. I studied Italian five hours a day for many months to ensure I could communicate with the players, media and fans."
" Ranieri had been in England for five years and still struggled to say ‘good morning’ and ‘good afternoon."
This was in response to the comments from the then Juventus Manager Ranieri. In a press conference after a 3-0 defeat to Hamburg, Claudio Ranieri had said: “I am not like Mourinho, I do not have to win things to be sure of myself.”
#4 Arsene Wenger
Perhaps Mourinho's most famous and persistent victim, Arsenal's boss Arsene Wenger received a scathing insult in October 2005 after questioning whether champions Chelsea had lost "the big belief" after a poor run.
In response, Jose Mourinho said, "I think he is one of these people who is a voyeur. He likes to watch other people. There are some guys who, when they are at home, have a big telescope to see what happens in other families. He speaks, speaks, speaks about Chelsea."
He also infamously labelled Arsene Wenger as 'Specialist in Failure' for not winning a trophy for a period of eight years when Arsene Wenger accused Mourinho of being scared to admit Chelsea are genuine title contenders because he has ‘fear of failure’.
#3 Pep Guardiola
After a 2-0 Barcelona victory at the Santiago Bernabéu in the Champions League semi-final first leg, Jose Mourinho launched an attack accusing UEFA of plotting to ensure Barcelona made it to the final and tried to belittle the achievements of his long-time nemesis.
In a scathing tirade, Mourinho said, "Guardiola is a fantastic coach but I have won two Champions Leagues. He has won [only] one Champions League and that is one that would embarrass me."
"I would be ashamed to have won it with the scandal of Stamford Bridge and if he wins it this year it will be with the scandal of the Bernabéu. I hope one day Guardiola has the chance of winning a proper Champions League, a brilliant, clean championship with no scandal."
#2 Rafael Benitez
It's pretty safe to assume neither Jose Mourinho nor Sir Alex Ferguson (whom Mourinho holds in high regard) are admirers of the Spaniard's work.
After Benitez had steered Inter to glory in the 2010 FIFA Club World Cup, Mourinho was quick to praise, well, himself. Mourinho had led Inter to an unprecedented Italian treble the season before Benitez inherited his squad.
He said, "I thought he was going to thank me for the title I gave him. Ask all the Inter fans what they think of me and him."
Mourinho also accused Rafa Benitez of destroying the best team in Europe in six months, at Inter Milan, where Benitez replaced him after he departed for Real Madrid.
#1 Carlo Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti accused Jose Mourinho of lacking respect after the Special One's stormed the pitch in Inter-Sampdoria match in 2009.
Mourinho countered this with a beautifully veiled barb in a reference of then Ancelotti managed AC Milan's 2005 Champions League final collapse against Liverpool when Milan lost to Liverpool on penalties even after leading 3-0 at half-time.
Mourinho said aiming a dig at Carlo Ancelotti, “Many coaches have won it more than once but there is only one club that was leading 3-0 in the final and managed to lose it. Sir Alex Ferguson has also won it twice. He is 68 and we’ll see how many I have bagged in 23 years.”
