Ranking the 5 greatest forwards to play under Jose Mourinho

#3 Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter Milan & Manchester United)

Leicester City v Manchester United - The FA Community Shield

Two people with identical personalities, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Jose Mourinho had a short but memorable time together.

Zlatan spent only one season under the Portuguese at Inter Milan in 2008-09 and then a season and a half at Manchester United when he came to Old Trafford in 2016. However, some of the best football of the Swede's impressive career came while playing for 'The Special One'.

At Inter, Ibrahimovic scored 25 goals in Mourinho's first season, finishing as Serie A's top scorer as the Nerazzurri lifted the Scudetto for the first time under the Portuguese.

Ibrahimovic left Inter for Barcelona in the summer of 2009, thereby missing out on the historic treble that Mourinho won with Inter in 2010. Following his switch to the Camp Nou, Ibrahimovic lasted just one season at Barcelona before returning to Italy with Inter's city rivals AC Milan.

Seven years later, Mourinho and Ibrahimovic reunited again, this time in the Premier League with Manchester United. Aged 35, there were question marks on whether the Swede would be able to adjust to the pace and physicality of English football.

But Ibrahimovic started the season brilliantly, scoring the winning goal on his debut in the 2016 Community Shield. He ended the 2016-17 campaign with 28 goals and 10 assists in 46 games, helping United to a League Cup and Europa League double. The forward left the following season to join MLS side LA Galaxy.

Ibrahimovic played 100 times under Jose Mourinho, scoring 58 goals and providing 23 assists. The duo still maintain a healthy relationship, with the forward even praising Mourinho in his autobiography I Am Zlatan.

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#2 Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)

Real Madrid CF v Real Zaragoza - Liga BBVA

Karim Benzema exhibited his brilliant talent in front of goal to its fullest during his three-year spell with Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid. The forward scored a staggering 78 goals and provided 49 assists in just 150 games under the Portuguese.

Benzema formed a lethal partnership up front with Cristiano Ronaldo as Los Blancos stormed to the La Liga title in 2011-12. The Frenchman also managed to win the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup under Mourinho.

But their relationship wasn't always smooth sailing. Benzema in particular was left very unimpressed when Mourinho compared him to a cat in a press conference in 2011.

This was a turning point in their relationship with Benzema confronting Mourinho and demanding respect from the manager.

Despite this bump in the road, Benzema still enjoyed a prolific and trophy-laden stint under Jose Mourinho. His goalscoring record under the Portuguese definitely warrants him a spot on the list.

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#1 Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)

Real Madrid v AC Milan - UEFA Champions League

Another Real Madrid forward who had a wonderful time in front of goal under Jose Mourinho was none other than one of the all-time greats, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo had arrived at the Bernabeu in 2009, prior to Mourinho's appointment in the summer of 2010. The forward had scored 33 goals in the campaign but ended the season trophyless. That naturally changed when Jose Mourinho took over the reigns. Everyone was keen to see if the Mourinho-Ronaldo combo could knock Lionel Messi and Pep Guardiola off their perch in La Liga.

Jose Mourinho's first season saw Ronaldo score a staggering 53 goals and claim his first trophy at Real Madrid in the form of the Copa del Rey. However, they narrowly lost out on the league title to Barcelona.

In the 2011-12 campaign, though, Ronaldo scored 60 goals under Mourinho as Los Blancos finally wrestled the La Liga title away from Barcelona. The campaign saw Mourinho's Real Madrid set several records, including most games won in a La Liga season (32) and most goals scored in a La Liga season (121). They also recorded the best goal difference (+89) in La Liga history.

Things ended on a somewhat sour note as the duo fell out in Jose Mourinho's final season in charge. Mourinho reportedly felt that Ronaldo did not deal with criticism well.

Nevertheless, Ronaldo scored a mind-blowing 168 goals and provided 49 assists in just 164 games under Jose Mourinho, thereby taking the top spot on this list.