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Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger are two of the finest managers in the history of football. Both of them had their respective approaches to the game and it used to always get intense whenever their teams faced each other.
The rivalry between Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger more often than not instigated a war of words. The Portuguese described the Frenchman as a "sweet enemy" and a very intelligent person.
Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger had some quality players at their disposal
While the rivalry between Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger was an entertaining affair, both had immense respect for each other. Both managers have achieved some unbelievable accolades and a lot of credit goes to the players they inherited in their sides.
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Some fine players were fortunate enough to play under both Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger. Without further delay, let's have a look at the five greatest players who played under both these world-class managers:
#5 Mesut Ozil
The German international started his career with Schalke in the Bundesliga. At the age of 19, Mesut Ozil joined Werder Bremen, winning the DFB-Pokal in his first season.
It was his individual performance that grabbed Real Madrid's interest, leading to the transfer of the German playmaker to the Spanish giants. Under the management of Jose Mourinho there, Ozil turned into a phenomenal creator of goals.
His agility combined with his vision and incisive passing helped him record the most assists for three consecutive seasons at the club. He won the La Liga and Copa del Rey once under the Portuguese manager at Real Madrid.
Ozil joined Arsenal in 2013, becoming the most expensive German player then. Under Arsene Wenger, the midfielder grew into a more fabulous player and helped the Gunners win three FA Cups. The French manager and the left-footed midfielder always had great admiration for each other. By his own admission, it was under Arsene Wenger that Ozil enjoyed football the most.
#4 Ashley Cole
Having graduated from the ranks at Arsenal, Ashley Cole started his career with the north London club. The Englishman is arguably one of the finest left-backs in the history of the Premier League.
Cole, as a defender, had a much more aggressive approach with an attacking mindset. He liked to make forward runs and help in the attack, which is something that helped during his time at Arsenal. Under Arsene Wenger's management, Cole won two Premier League titles and three FA Cups. He was an important part of the team in the 2003-04 season as the Gunners were undefeated the entire season and were named the "Invincibles."
After a controversial saga in 2006, Ashley Cole joined rivals Chelsea. He was signed to play under then Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho. He won the FA Cup with the London club then and was present with them when Mourinho returned for his second spell.
Given that Cole was upset when the Portuguese was let go in his first spell, it was a positive for him seeing the former Porto man return to Stamford Bridge.
#3 Petr Cech
Both Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger have had the pleasure of working with one of the finest goalkeepers in the history of the Premier League, Petr Cech. The Czech international was signed by Chelsea in the summer of 2004 from Rennes.
Jose Mourinho was right about his decision to sign Cech as he played an important role in helping the Blues win the Premier League in his first season. With Chelsea, the shot-stopper has won four league titles, four FA Cups, one UEFA Champions League and one UEFA Europa League title. Under Jose, two of those Premier League titles and one FA Cup were won.
In 2015, having spent eleven seasons with Chelsea, Cech decided to join Arsenal. Arsene Wenger was an admirer of the Czech goalkeeper because of his stellar presence and effectiveness between the sticks. With the Gunners, he won the FA Cup once and the FA Community Shield twice. The former Sparta Prague player highly rates both Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger.
#2 Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira is arguably one of the best central midfielders of his generation. He signed for Arsenal in the summer of 1996 and it had a lot to do with Arsene Wenger becoming the Gunners' manager back then.
The Frenchman was a box-to-box midfielder and was pretty good at it. His aggressive style of play helped in winning the ball time and again. He was instrumental in Arsenal winning the Premier League thrice during his tenure at the club. He was the captain of the "Invincibles" team that went undefeated the entire season in the 2003-04 season.
The midfielder joined Juventus in 2005 but the Italian club were relegated to Serie B the following season. As a result, Vieira decided to join Inter Milan in 2006. Jose Mourinho took over the Nerazzurri in 2008, meaning the French midfielder played two seasons under him. The duo won Serie A together. Vieira was of the opinion that he learned more from the Portuguese manager than he did from Arsene Wenger.
#1 Cesc Fabregas
The Premier League has seen some fine midfielders in the its history and Cesc Fabregas is arguably one of them. The Spanish midfielder kickstarted his senior career with Arsenal.
Under Arsene Wenger, Fabregas became one of the finest playmakers in the Premier League at a very young age. With his incisive passing, creativity and vision, he was difficult to contain. The Spaniard spent seven seasons with the Gunners. Unfortunately, the London club struggled to convert their promise and flair into trophies, which is why Fabregas left to play for Barcelona in 2011.
After spending three seasons with the Catalan club, the Spanish midfielder returned to the Premier League to play for Chelsea this time. Back then, Jose Mourinho was enjoying his second spell with the Blues.
Fabregas won his first Premier League trophy with the former Real Madrid manager. To date, he remains one of the few players to have played under Jose Mourinho, Arsene Wenger and Pep Guardiola.
