Jose Mourinho was recently asked to pick his World XI from all the players he’s ever coached but the Portuguese manager declined on naming an eleven as he thought it would be unfair to the players who he would have left out.
A topic that is even more controversial, would be selecting an eleven from all the players Mourinho has either been involved in long-term spats with or players that have not caught the fancy of Mourinho’s special benchmark-laden eyes. This may not make the best team Mourinho’s ever coached, but it’s the best of the ones he has publicly had issues with.
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Formation: 4-2-3-1
Goalkeeper: Iker Casillas
This was a no-brainer. Casillas is one of the most decorated champions, let alone goalkeepers in footballing history. Having captained the Spanish national team to two European Championships sandwiching a World Cup victory, Casillas would go down in history as one of the most revered national team captains.
Casillas began his youth career with Real Madrid back in 1990 and made 725 appearances for the club until his stay there ended unceremoniously in 2015. Mourinho’s handling of Casillas and his public disliking for him was not well received by fans at large, but Casillas eventually exited the club joining Porto at the beginning of the 2015 season.
Right Back: Sergio Ramos
Among the many bonds Sergio Ramos shared with Iker Casillas was their relationship with their then manager, Jose Mourinho. He apparently once told his club President either Mourinho leaves or we (the players) leave.
Ramos did not even pick Mourinho in his list of ‘best’ managers and preferred Ancelotti’s man management over Jose’s in an interview.
In another interview after Mourinho’s exit from Madrid, the Madrid star apparently pretended to forget who Mourinho was.
Centre back: Pepe
Most managers would be excited at the possibility of having players of this calibre in their backline, but Jose is not most managers. Mourinho once told the media that “Pepe had a problem at Madrid and ‘his name was Raphael Varane”. According to Mourinho, Pepe was unhappy at the fact that his playing time was in jeopardy because of the then 19-year old.
If Pepe is to be believed, Mourinho isn’t being missed exactly at Madrid, and he thinks Zidane understands his players much better, having been a player himself. Pepe went on the record saying that Madrid and its players were hated during Mourinho’s time, a situation that has changed for the better now.
Centre back: David Luiz
David Luiz was a Champions League winner with Chelsea but he did not fit into Jose’s scheme of things. The Brazilian on most occasions lost his place in the starting lineup to John Terry and Gary Cahill. This coupled with his expensive price tag and presence of takers for him at that steep a price created the perfect opening for Mourinho to offload him.
On his departure, in typical Jose fashion, he said that Luiz “would not be missed.” The situation has worsened over the years with heated exchanges between the pair.
Left back: William Gallas
Gallas was desperate to leave Chelsea for Arsenal after his request to be played as a central defender rather than a left back fell on deaf ears. He threatened to score own goals if his wish wasn’t granted. To make things worse, the public release of his statements didn’t help the situation with the club and fans.
Add to that, his relationship with Jose. He continued to attack his manager publicly and we all know there is no beating around the bush with Jose, who either plays you or pushes you to the brink.
Defensive Midfielder: Lassana Diarra
Diarra played for Mourinho in two stints, first at Chelsea in 2005 and later at Real Madrid in 2010, both of which were probably forgettable for him. Diarra’s first stint with Mourinho was on the backs of a season that saw him win Chelsea’s Young Player of the Year award, but that did not give him much of a chance in Jose’s eyes, as he was pretty much unused in the 2005-06 season.
At Madrid, things looked positive for the Frenchman until the arrival of Jose. Diarra eventually lost his position as a regular to Sami Khedira.
Defensive Midfielder: Bastian Schweinsteiger
A lot of stalwarts may not be getting the credit their legacies deserve, at Manchester United this season, and that’s Jose for you. Schweinsteiger seemed to be rising up Mourinho’s personal ladder, but his inclusion on the bench against Reading pretty much cleared the air on that.
The German has seen little playing time at United this season, and like the others, there seems to be no real fire causing all the smoke.
Attacking midfielder: Kaka
Kaka was the second most expensive transfer cases in the world and was coming off some huge campaigns in Serie A and Champions League with AC Milan. However, problems aplenty coupled with injuries to the Brazilian star lowered Kaka’s position in the pecking order at Real Madrid. Mourinho’s inclination towards not giving the Brazilian superstar too many chances eventually led to his exit from the club and led to his demise from superstardom.
Kaka in typical Kaka fashion still has respect for the man who never fully utilised the former Ballon d'Or winner.
Left Winger: Juan Mata
A LOT of managers would salivate at the thought of having this midfield in their playing XI as part of a 4-2-3-1 formation, but not the Special One. Mata had one of the most stellar seasons before Mourinho joined Chelsea and almost immediately put him up on the block and offloaded him. Mata was often benched by Jose, something that earned the ire of fans.
There seemed to be a lot of tension when the player and manager were reunited at Manchester United this season and Mata said there was no relationship between him and Jose, but some dust seems to have settled there.
Right Winger: Ricardo Quaresma
Quaresma was an expensive buy from Porto who would soon ‘win’ an award for the worst player in Italian football at Serie A giants Inter Milan. If rumours are to be believed, Quaresma found it difficult to play in the confines of a 4-2-3-1 and that is what eventually led to him leaving the club.
He once said in an interview that his “biggest regret was joining Inter.” Call it rifts, bad management or mismatches in playing styles and expectations, these three will go down as three really good midfielders who just could not play with Jose.
Striker: Diego Costa
Whether he’s calling his new boss ‘friendlier’ to have a better relationship with him or because he wants to take a dig at his old boss, or both, we know one thing for sure, there was no chemistry between the Spanish star and the Portuguese maestro.
Whilst he did appear to throw a bib at his coach in 2015, that situation was rubbished later, the apparent displeasure the two had for each other, never was. Unlike other cases, though, it’s Mourinho who moved on this time and not the footballing star.
