Pep (L) and Jose (R) were coaches of Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively
Legendary Portuguese coach, Jose Mourinho has reignited memories of his long-running rivalry with Pep Guardiola after reflecting on his greatest career achievements.
When asked if he considers himself one of the all-time great managers, during an interview with SportyNet, Mourinho did not hesitate to agree with the assertion.
He went on to explain that greatness in football is not only about winning trophies but also about the context of those victories.
“Because of all I’ve won, I think football is still measured by wins. And there’s something that makes me feel even better, which is to win, where I won, in the way I won. Because winning the Champions League with Porto is not the same as winning it with Barcelona. Winning the Champions League with Inter is not the same as winning it with Real Madrid,” Mourinho said.
The remarks were widely interpreted as a subtle dig at Guardiola, whose Champions League triumphs came with a Barcelona side often hailed as one of the greatest teams ever.
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Mourinho, in contrast, lifted the trophy with Porto in 2004 and Inter Milan in 2010, feats regarded as monumental underdog triumphs.
The Portuguese also addressed his spell at Real Madrid, where he ended Barcelona’s domestic dominance under Guardiola:
“You might say that I was at Real Madrid and I didn’t win the Champions League. No, I didn’t, but I won the league title and the cup title against the best team in the world, which was Barcelona, and I broke a huge cycle of Barcelona dominating Real Madrid.”
He capped his reflections with his achievement at Roma, then gave a very good verdict of his career.
“Also, my last European title with Roma, which is Roma’s only ever European title. Having not only the number of titles I have but also the way I have done it, if you don’t think I’m one of the greatest, I have to disagree,” he added.
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Meanwhile, watch as Ghanaians predict top scorer between Kudus and Semenyo on GhanaWeb TV below:
