Cristiano Ronaldo's former coach Jose Mourinho has revealed that Lionel Messi was the player he always wanted to sign but never could. Speaking on TNT Sports, Mourinho mentioned that Messi was not coachable, but called him the best in their generation.
"Who is the player you never signed, but wish you did?"
Jose Mourinho: "Of course the little guy, that little guy was not coachable, but I have to say in our generation he [Messi] was the BEST."
The internet had mixed reactions to Mourinho's honest admission about Lionel Messi. Many fans took to X to mock Ronaldo, who played under the coach between 2010 to 2013, while some thought that the current Fenerbahce coach has lost his credibility.
"Ronaldo FC are so cooked man. Even Mourinho admits it," said one fan.
"Mourinho has lost his credibility," said another
Here are some more reactions:
"Mourinho coached the galatico but knows there’s a player better than every player he has ever coached. a real coach, pep still better though!" one user wrote.
"Every manager dream of coaching Messi," another added.
"Messi was the BEST. Even mourinho has seen the light," a fan commented.
"Every manager that coach Ronaldo said messi is the best ever.. yet to see a manager that coach Messi and say Messi isn’t the best," another alleged.
"Mourinho knows Ronaldo is the Greatest of all time," another claimed.
"I like his honesty. THE SPECIAL ONE," one more rejoiced.
When Jose Mourinho weighed in on the Lionel Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo debate
Back in 2019, Jose Mourinho shared an unconventional take on the Lionel Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo debate, where he chose none but praised both players.
Speaking in a segment of On the Touchline with Jose Mourinho, the former Real Madrid coach said Messi and Ronaldo are both lucky and unlucky to have been born in the same generation.
“I think they are lucky and unlucky to be in the same generation. They are lucky because they can compete against each other. They look to each other in a positive way and get extra motivation. If there was only one of them, they would have ten Golden Boots,” Mourinho said (via SPORTbible).
The manager also noted that the two icons have set the bar too high, but neither will last forever.
“Now, I think they have put the bar really high. And you have the players coming behind, who I like to call the 'little monsters. The bar has to be high, so it has to be incredible motivation for Neymar, [Kylian] Mbappé and [Antoine] Griezmann. Unfortunately, Cristiano and Messi will not last forever,” he added.
Despite having coached Ronaldo during his prime years at Real Madrid, Mourinho has admitted before that he would like to have coached Lionel Messi. He admitted in an interview on the Influencer Ohm's YouTube channel that Messi already knows everything, and one could not teach him anything.
"For example, I could never train Lionel Messi, but nobody can train Messi. It's absurd to think you can train him because he was born with everything, and he already knows everything. Perhaps he teaches you a few things...," Jose Mourinho said (via beIN Sports).
Lionel Messi is currently gearing up to lead Argentina in the 2024 Copa America, while Cristiano Ronaldo is all set to represent Portugal at the 2024 Euros.