Interview Quotes

Reflection on Roma Departure

"I can say it's the one that hurt me more. I can say that. You can ask me why. Because I gave everything. I gave my heart. I gave even some options that could be considered not very clever by the professional point of view."

— Jose Mourinho • 01:31:45

"I refused great working opportunities. The first one was even very, very hard to refuse, because it was Portugal, and Portugal was probably the best national team ever. Three years before the World Cup."

— Jose Mourinho • 01:32:15

"I had the great feeling of I gave so much happiness to the people. Because two finals, two European finals in a row doesn't happen often, especially in a club like Roma, without a big history of European success."

— Jose Mourinho • 01:34:15

"But then you have to respect. The owner is always the owner. And you have to respect the decision, which is what I'm doing now."

— Jose Mourinho • 01:35:00

Building a Team and Modern Football

"I always say, you have to be arrogant on the pitch when your team is the best one. And you have to be more cautious when your team is not the best one."

— Jose Mourinho • 02:06:15

"Going from generation to generation, I just, I don't have the feeling of previous generations are better than now, or people of 20 years ago has a different approach to what people have now. I think in the end, the same ingredients are there."

— Jose Mourinho • 02:07:30

"Because we are speaking about a completely different world. What for us, 20 years ago, was impossible to happen, now happens and is impossible to change."

— Jose Mourinho • 02:10:30

"And I think the fight, if you can call it a fight, is to try to make these individuals be a team. Be a team. I think this is the fundamental fight, if you can call it a fight."

— Jose Mourinho • 02:15:45

"The players are very intelligent. If not intelligent in terms of IQ, because not everyone, of course, is. But that specific intelligence, the feeling of analyzing things, of feeling things, of reading things, even in between the lines, the players are very clever."

— Jose Mourinho • 02:19:00

Intense Rivalries and Managerial Enjoyment

"And I felt that in that period there, the world stopped for Barca-Real, Real-Barca, the world stopped there. And we were feeling that."

— Jose Mourinho • 02:28:30

"For you to have an example. For us to win the league, we did 100 points. You know that if you don't do 98, 99, 100, you don't win it."

— Jose Mourinho • 02:30:45

"The most difficult time is gone, but it's also time for me to go. It's draining, tired. Yeah, yeah. You can say a little bit, a little bit like that when the tension is high."

— Jose Mourinho • 02:36:00

"But I would say that my times at Real Madrid, these three years in Real Madrid were years of a huge rivalry with Barcelona. Also because it was not just the cultural and historical rivalry, but also the moment. The moment."

— Jose Mourinho • 02:27:30

Pre-Match Routine and Adaptability

"I always say that the big work is done before the match day. During the match day, my work as a coach and my staff, you know, is to be on the bench to analyze the unpredictability of the game and be ready to answer to it. But normally the job is done."

— Jose Mourinho • 02:41:00

"I'm probably one of the few guys that is not superstitious. I'm not at all. That's good. I'm not at all. I think we have enough pressure to have another extra pressure of being superstitious with something, you know."

— Jose Mourinho • 02:41:30

"I like the players to be by themselves in that period before the warm-up. I don't like to go. Especially at home, when you have your little office, I don't like to go to the dressing room. Let them be, let them communicate. Let them do what they want. Let them feel comfortable."

— Jose Mourinho • 02:42:00