Jose Mourinho Quotes:

The best way to stop Messi is when you play with 11 men and then you can double mark him, one player to stay on him and the other to help out. If it is 11 against 10 then you have almost no chance of stopping him.

source: - "Mourinho takes pressure off stars". www.cnn.com. March 6, 2006.

Topics: Player, Men, Messi

Football is a more beautiful game in high definition.

source: - "Biography/ Personal Quotes". www.imdb.com.

Topics: Beautiful, Football, Games, High Definition

Chelsea are up there with best teams in the world,and let's hope United can join us in quarter-finals.

Topics: Team, Finals, World, Chelsea

If Messi is the best in the world, it's only because Cristiano is from another planet.

Topics: Messi, World, Planets

The reality is he's a specialist because eight years without a piece of silverware ... that is failure.

Topics: Football, Reality, Eight, Specialists

Look, I'm a coach, I'm not Harry Potter. He is magical, but in reality there is no magic. Magic is fiction and football is real.

Topics: Football, Real, Magic

I hate to speak about individuals. Players don't win you trophies, teams win trophies, squads win trophies.

source: - "Antonio Conte vs Jose Mourinho - how did their first Chelsea press conferences compare?" by Jim Daly, www.mirror.co.uk. July 14, 2016.

Topics: Team, Hate, Player

Football is a game about feelings and intelligence.

Topics: Sports, Football, Games

When I go to the press conference before the game, in my mind the game has already started.

Topics: Motivational, Soccer, Games, Inspirational Soccer, Soccer Player

If Messi is the best on the planet, Ronaldo is the best in the universe.

Topics: Messi, Planets, Universe, Cristiano Ronaldo

Money does not guarantee success.

Topics: Football, Money, Doe

Arsenal have won that advantage, nobody gave it to them. By playing fantastic football and by winning matches and by winning trophies, they won that respect that the opponent has for them.

Topics: Football, Winning, Opponents

The title race is between two horses and a little horse that needs milk and needs to learn how to jump.

Topics: Football, Horse, Race, Chelsea

I am Jose Mourinho and I don't change. I arrive with all my qualities and my defects.

Topics: Quality, Mourinho

The team is completely close. Anything you say outside, there is no chance it will go inside. So the team is really strong and compact. We know what we want and how to achieve it on the pitch.

Topics: Strong, Team, Want, Compact

One day he (Einstein) said that the only mechanical force more powerful than steam, electricity and atomic energy is will. That Alberto bloke was not stupid. With will you can achieve things.

source: - "Manchester United's José Mourinho: no longer the bright young iconoclast" by Jonathan Wilson, www.theguardian.com. September 22, 2016.

Topics: Powerful, Stupid, One Day, Atomic Energy

In five years I have never had a match where my team has had less possession than the opponents.

Topics: Team, Years, Opponents, Inspirational Soccer

Sometimes you see beautiful people with no brains. Sometimes you have ugly people who are intelligent, like scientists.

source: - "Mourinho in his own words" by Chris Charles, news.bbc.co.uk. September 20, 2007.

Topics: Beautiful, Intelligent, People, Ugly People

To be the ultimate team, you must use your body and your mind. Draw up on the resources of your teammates. Choose your steps wisely and you will win. Remember, only teams succeed.

Topics: Soccer, Team, Winning, Inspirational Soccer, Great Soccer

I am prepared. The more pressure there is, the stronger I am. In Portugal, we say the bigger the ship, the stronger the storm. Fortunately for me, I have always been in big ships. FC Porto was a very big ship in Portugal, Chelsea was also a big ship in England and Inter was a great ship in Italy. Now I'm at Real Madrid, which is considered the biggest ship on the planet.

Topics: Real, Stronger, Storm, Inspirational Soccer, Madrid

Everybody can be smart.

Topics: Smart, Being Smart

The Porto players were with me for two and a half years, they believed in me, in my methods, in the way we do it. The next day I go and a manager arrives who works completely differently.

Topics: Player, Years, Two, Porto

Facing the press is not easy, but because you have to go, you have to try to take a lot of positive things for yourself from these face-to-face meetings.

Topics: Trying, Faces, Easy

The moral of the story is not to listen to those who tell you not to play the violin but stick to the tambourine.

Topics: Play, Stories, Violin, Moral Of The Story

Please don't call me arrogant, but I'm European champion and I think I'm a special one.

Topics: Soccer, Thinking, Champion, Inspirational Soccer, Special One

You can have the top stars to bring the attention, you can have the best stadium, you can have the best facilities, you can have the most beautiful project in terms of marketing and all this kind of thing. But if you don't win... All the work these people are doing is forgotten.

Topics: Beautiful, Soccer, Stars, Facility, Motivational Soccer

I intend to give my best, to improve things and to create the football team in relation to my image and my football philosophy. We have top players and, sorry if I'm arrogant, we have a top manager. I'm not a defender of old or new football managers. I believe in good ones and bad ones, those that achieve success and those that don't. Please don't call me arrogant, but I'm European champion and I think I'm a special one.

Topics: Football, Sorry, Team, Special One, Bad Grades

I asked the players: 'Do you want to enjoy the game? Or do you want to enjoy after the game?' The players told me they wanted to enjoy after the game so I said: 'OK, then we will enjoy after the game'.

Topics: Soccer, Football, Player

Instead of speaking about Real Madrid, Mr Wenger should speak about Arsenal and explain how he lost 2-0 against a team in the Champions League for the first time [Braga]. The history about the young kids is getting old now. Sagna, Clichy, Walcott, Fabregas, Song, Nasri, Van Persie, Arshavin are not kids. They are all top players.

Topics: Song, Team, Real, Madrid, Wenger

Eleven against eleven they never beat us.

Topics: Soccer, Football, Beats

I think it's clearly the result of something that looks like a campaign.

Topics: Football, Thinking, League

To me, attacking football happens when Makelele gets the ball and passes it to the central defender who passes it to the right-back who comes forward and judges the situation. If he can do something he passes forward or runs with the ball, if not he gives it back to Makelele who builds the attack again. That is attacking football. In England attacking football is giving the ball to Makelele and having him hit it forward no matter what, even if everybody is marked.

Topics: Football, Running, Giving, Can Do Something

No club moves me from Chelsea until Chelsea wants me to move because I want to be where I am loved.

Topics: Moving, Clubs, Want, Chelsea

If I had wanted to be protected in a quiet job, I could have stayed at Porto. I would have been second, after God, in the eyes of the fans even if I had never won another thing.

Topics: Jobs, Eye, Fans, Porto

There is no pressure at the top. The pressure is being second or third.

Topics: Pressure, Thirds, No Pressure

The dog is in Portugal and the city of London is safe.

Topics: Soccer, Football, Dog, Portugal, City Of London

Four wins in four matches. It could not be better... the world is fantastic.

Topics: Soccer, Football, Winning

Do you have a brother or cousin in Ivory Coast, because I don't have the money to bring you to Porto.

Topics: Soccer, Football, Cousin, Porto

Drogba is a fighter. He is the kind of player I would say 'With you I could go to every war.'

Topics: Soccer, Football, War, Drogba

It is like when you go to war: we have to know how our enemies attack and defend.

Topics: Soccer, Football, War

Look at my haircut. I am ready for the war. The objective is to win the Premiershp. I don't want to dominate, to finish without defeat, record points or goals or consecutive wins. The Premiership is so difficult you cannot be focused on that. I just think about winning.

Topics: Soccer, Football, War, Consecutive

This is football from the 19th century. It's very difficult to play a football match when only one team wants to play. A football match is about two teams playing. I told Big Sam, they need points. To come here the way they did, is that acceptable? Maybe it is, they need points. The only thing I could bring more was Black & Decker - a Black & Decker to destroy the West Ham wall.

Topics: Football, Wall, Team, West Ham, Football Match

Football is a game based on emotion and intelligence. Anyone can be clever, the trick is not to think the other guy is stupid.

Topics: Soccer, Football, Clever

It gave the title to Manchester City - it's as simple as that.

Topics: Football, Simple, Cities, Manchester City

I want to congratulate again Mike Dean. I think his performance was unbelievable and I think when referees have unbelievable performances, I think it's fair that as managers we give them praise. So fantastic performance.

Topics: Football, Thinking, League

It is like having a blanket that is too small for the bed, you pull the blanket up to keep your chest warm, and your feet stick out. I cannot buy a bigger blanket because the supermarket is closed. But the blanket I have is made of cashmere. So it's good.

Topics: Soccer, Football, Feet, Chelsea, Cashmere

If I am hated at Barcelona, it is their problem but not mine. Fear is not a word in my football dictionary.

Topics: Football, Barcelona, Problem

Like me or not, I am the only one who has won the world's three most important leagues. So, maybe instead of the 'Special One', people should start calling me the 'Only One'.

Topics: People, League, Special, Special One, Like Me Or Not

We want to follow a dream, yes it's true, but it's one thing to follow a dream and another to follow an obsession...A dream is more pure than obsession. A dream is about pride.

source: - "FC Porto foi a melhor equipa que já treinei". expresso.sapo.pt. March 23, 2009.

Topics: Dream, Pride, Want

Everybody was waiting for Chelsea not to win every game and one day when we lose there will be a holiday in the country. But we are ready for that.

Topics: Soccer, Country, Holiday, Chelsea, Football Clubs

We are on top at the moment but not because of the club's financial power. We are in contention for a lot of trophies because of my hard work.

Topics: Soccer, Hard Work, Trophies

You don't have to love me. You don't even have to like me, but you will respect me.

Topics: Respect Me, Like Me

A great pianist doesn't run around the piano or do push ups with his fingers. To be great, he plays the piano. ...being a footballer is not about running, push-ups or physical work generally. The best way to be a great footballer is to play.

Topics: Soccer, Football, Running, Push Ups

You win by effort, by commitment, by ambition, by quality, by expressing yourself individually but in the team context.

Topics: Volleyball, Team, Ambition

You have to work hard AND well. There are a lot of people who work hard but not well.

Topics: Volleyball, Hard Work, People

In my teams, when we win, we all win, and when we lose, I lose.

source: - "Mourinho defends Ronaldo after Portugal World Cup exit". www.mirror.co.uk. June 30, 2010.

Topics: Team, Winning, Loses

With all the stones being thrown against me you could build a monument!

Topics: Stones, Thrown, Monument

But the most important part of everything is to be happy.

Topics: Important

It’s not important how we play. If you have a Ferrari and I have a small car, to beat you in a race I have to break your wheel or put sugar in your tank.

source: - "How Barcelona spawned Mourinho as its nemesis" by Simon Kuper, www.ft.com. April 24, 2010.

Topics: Race, Play, Car, Sacking

I must try to hide my emotions. I have to live with both the victory and the defeat.

Topics: Victory, Trying, Emotion

Pressure? What pressure? Pressure is poor people in the world trying to feed their families. There is no pressure in football

Topics: Football, People, Trying, No Pressure, Soccer Football

I would rather play with 10 men than wait for a player who is late for the bus.

Topics: Player, Men, Waiting

I enjoy the work, I enjoy every minute of my professional life.

Topics: Minutes, Enjoy, Professional Life

If a player is not performing, there are two ways of looking at it. You wait for performance to come, or maybe the moment has arrived where you have to change. I could go either way.

Topics: Player, Two, Waiting, Two Ways

I studied Italian five hours a day for many months to ensure I could communicate with the players, media and fans. [Claudio] Ranieri had been in England for five years and still struggled to say 'good morning' and 'good afternoon.'

source: - "Italy v England: 10 Classic Jose Mourinho Quotes", www.goal.com. February 23, 2009.

Topics: Morning, Italian, Player, Good Afternoon

When the players think you are strong and that you trust them, it helps them to have a good attitude.

Topics: Strong, Attitude, Player

Without emotional control you cannot play, influence; you cannot react. You have to know what you have to do and not react. You have to be cool.

source: - "How relaxed Chelsea took complete control", www.theguardian.com. October 14, 2005.

Topics: Emotional, Play, Influence, Emotional Control

We all want to play great music all the time, but if that is not possible, you have to hit as many right notes as you can.

Topics: Soccer, Football, Play

As we say in Portugal, they brought the bus and they left the bus in front of the goal.

source: - Biography/Personal Quotes, www.imdb.com.

Topics: Goal, Portugal, Melons

Unhappy is a nice word.

Topics: Nice, Unhappy, Nice Words

The world is so competitive, aggressive, consumive, selfish and during the time we spend here we must be all but that.

Topics: Selfish, World, Aggressive

Ten years ago I also had a very difficult decision to make when we had (Carlo) Cudicini giving fantastic performances in Chelsea’s goal for many years. I had in my hands a 22-year-old goalkeeper I thought could be in Chelsea’s goals for years and years and years and this situation is quite similar.

Topics: Hands, Years, Giving, Chelsea

I won't say we have to win. I won't put that pressure. But we can't lose.

Topics: Football, Winning, Pressure

Ranieri? He's right in what he says: I am very demanding of myself and I need to win to be secure about things. That's why I've won so many trophies in my career. He, on the other hand, has the mentality of someone who doesn't need to win and at nearly 70 years old he has won a Supercoppa and another small cup. He's too old to change his mindset.

Topics: Winning, Hands, Years

If Roman Abramovich helped me out in training we would be bottom of the league and if I had to work in his world of big business, we would be bankrupt!

Topics: League, Training, Would Be, Chelsea

Everyone has a right to an opinion. I can arrive in England and express my opinion. If criticism were ferocious and without intellectual objectivity they should show me the way to their airport. It is important to have an opinion and not be afraid to express it, knowing there will be criticism.

Topics: Airports, Objectivity, Knowing

So I know all about the ups and downs of football, I know that one day I will be sacked.

source: - "The Knowledge Christmas special: the first Christmas football riot" by John Ashdown, www.theguardian.com. December 16, 2015.

Topics: Football, Inspirational Soccer, One Day

If you want me to rule out ever being Manchester United manager, I can't. Special clubs need special managers, so in theory it could work.

Topics: Special, Needs, Clubs, If You Want Me

Especially when you play at home, you need a good atmosphere behind you.

Topics: Home, Play, Atmosphere

You see how Spanish, Italians, Portuguese play football. I don't say they are perfect, I say English football has a few things to learn from them in the same way they have a lot of things to learn from English football.

Topics: Football, Play, Perfect, Portuguese, English Football

You are pushed to behave differently here, you don't really have a choice. If you cheat you have no chance of being admired. Even your own supporters will dislike you. So what do you do? Well, the way is not to be stupid, but not to cheat either. If there is a foul, you have to fall. I call it 'helping the referee to make a decision'. That's not cheating.

Topics: Soccer, Football, Cheating

People don't know about football. They think they know about it but they don't know much.

Topics: Soccer, Football, Thinking

The club is much more important than me, the fans are much more important than me so it's not for me. I'm not working for me, I'm working for the club, for the fans. That's the way I look at things.

source: - Source: www.theguardian.com

Topics: Important

He's a specialist in failure.

source: - "Jose Mourinho: Arsene Wenger Is ‘A Specialist In Failure’". www.huffingtonpost.com. February 15, 2014.

Topics: Football, League, Specialists

The problem with Chelsea is I lack a striker. I have Samuel Eto'o but he is 32 years old - maybe 35, who knows?

Topics: Football, Years, League, Chelsea, Strikers

Look at the way teams play against Arsenal. They don't believe they can win. They don't believe.

Topics: Team, Believe, Winning

For me pressure is bird flu. I'm serious. I'm feeling a lot of pressure with the problem in Scotland. It's not fun and I'm more scared of it than football. Football is nothing compared with life. For me bird flu is the drama of the last few days. I'll have to buy a mask.

source: - "Mourinho cool despite Man Utd run". news.bbc.co.uk. April 7, 2006.

Topics: Soccer, Football, Fun, Bird Flu

The negative side of football. The negative side of our society. People sometimes go to football and bring to it the negative aspects of our society.

Topics: Football, People, Negative

Ronaldinho is better than Cristiano Ronaldo, but neither are as good as Leo Messi. He holds numerous records, such as the most goals scored in a single La Liga season and the most goals scored in a calendar year. I'm more worried about being a good person than being the best football player in the world. He has everything. We must protect him.

Topics: Football, Cristiano Ronaldo, Player, Leo Messi, Being A Good Person

I don't say we are a defensive team. I say we are a strong team in defensive terms, but at the same time lacking sufficient fluidity in attack because that will take time to come.

Topics: Strong, Team, Inspirational Soccer

And I think because of the passion of every English player and every English supporter, and every English journalist for the game, most of the game is played with passion, love for football and instinct, but in football you also have to think.

Topics: Football, Passion, Player

I know the questions will be around the money, the amount Chelsea had to spend to bring him here but that's the reality of modern football. Big teams only want big players, big players are in big clubs, big clubs want to keep their big players.

source: - "Reality bites in Blues' Essien deal", www.theguardian.com. August 19, 2005.

Topics: Football, Team, Player

I think the best place to work in football is England.

Topics: Football, Thinking, England

But I think it's more normal for my team to have no success than it is to win two consecutive European cups.

Topics: Team, Winning, Thinking, Consecutive

Dogs bark and the caravan goes by.

source: - "José Mourinho: 'Chelsea did everything that champions need to do'" by Daniel Taylor, www.theguardian.com. May 3, 2015.

Topics: Dog, Bark, Caravans

The way I use to develop an aerobic condition is three against three, man to man, in a square 20 metres by 20.

Topics: Men, Squares, Three

I was nine or 10 years old and my father was sacked on Christmas Day. He was a manager, the results had not been good, he lost a game on December 22 or 23. On Christmas Day, the telephone rang and he was sacked in the middle of our lunch.

Topics: Christmas, Father, Years

He is the best. The best in the world, yes. Probably the best ever. I saw Maradona a couple of times. I never saw Pele. But Cristiano is amazing. This man is the best... Cristiano is a goals machine. He is an incredible player. He is like Zidane, there will never be another Ronaldo.

Topics: Couple, Player, Men, Maradona, Best Ever

Let slip the dogs of champions.

Topics: Soccer, Football, Dog

Three years without a Premiership title? I don't think I would still be in a job.

Topics: Jobs, Thinking, Years

For Chelsea, I would turn down every job in the world.

source: - "José Mourinho reveals his secret pact with Sir Alex Ferguson" by Owen Gibson, www.theguardian.com. June 15, 2013.

Topics: Jobs, World, Turns

Would you phone the president of Ghana?

Topics: Ghana, Phones, President

When I was at Porto my team also played in the UEFA Cup final against a Scottish side - but it was Celtic. I've never seen such emotional people. It was unbelievable!

Topics: Team, Emotional, People, Porto, Cup Finals

Maybe next season we can race.

Topics: Race, Next, Seasons, Chelsea

There are only two ways for me to leave Chelsea. One way is in June 2010 when I finish my contract and if the club doesn’t give me a new one. It is the end of my contract and I am out. The second way is for Chelsea to sack me. The way of the manager leaving the club by deciding to walk away, no chance! I will never do this to Chelsea supporters.

Topics: Two, June, Giving, Chelsea, Sacking

If you look at revenge we are still winning three one you know, so I don't think it is a question of revenge, is a question of a personal thing

Topics: Revenge, Winning, Thinking, Personal Things

We are on top at the moment, but not because of the club's financial power. We are in contention for a lot of trophies because of my hard work.

source: - "The Guardian profile: Jose Mourinho" by Mark Honigsbaum, www.theguardian.com. March 10, 2005.

Topics: Soccer, Hard Work, Arrogant, Football Clubs

At the very least we should be given a bit of credit and a little bit of space, and maybe the media should think we could help them discover why English teams do not win European competitions.

Topics: Team, Thinking, Winning

I feel I have a lot to learn from English football and I am completely open to good influences in my way of thinking. But I also have things to give them.

source: - "Look, listen and learn" by Simon Garfield, www.theguardian.com. May 12, 2007.

Topics: Football, Thinking, Giving, English Football, Good Influences

The only way to stop Messi is to double mark him. One player to stay on him and the other to help out.

Topics: Player, Messi, Way

In the same way that I had to follow an Italian manager here, I can imagine that it was not easy for an Italian manager to follow me at Porto.

Topics: Italian, Way, Imagine, Porto

Wenger has been Arsenal's coach for 15 years but he hasn't won even a Carling Cup for six years. Benitez hasn't won a league title in six years but they continue to keep him as Liverpool's coach. This is not the Italian mentality. To stay here I must continue winning and do well.

Topics: Italian, Winning, Years, Wenger

He is someone I respect [Beckham] as a man and as a player. He is the captain of England and has been a European champion. I have never been critical of him and reports implying that are incorrect as I've never made comments about him

Topics: Player, Men, Champion, Beckham, Implying

When I saw Rijkaard entering the referee's dressing room I couldn't believe it. When Didier Drogba was sent off, I wasn't surprised.

Topics: Believe, Entering, Rooms, Chelsea, Drogba

If I wanted to have an easy job, working with the big protection of what I have already done before, I would have stayed at Porto - beautiful blue chair, the Uefa Champions League trophy, God, and after God, me.

source: - "Mourinho boasts 'After God, me'" by Amy Lawrence, www.theguardian.com. July 10, 2004.

Topics: Beautiful, Jobs, Champions League, Porto

The only thing that we cannot control is our supporters.

Topics: Supporter

I fell a bit in love with Celtic, because the atmosphere was amazing and the crowd was magnificent, the way they behaved with the Porto fans.

Topics: Atmosphere, Fans, Crowds, Porto

I remember the first time I saw him play. It was for a Sporting CP youth team. I told my assistant, 'There goes Van Basten's son.' Ronaldo had great technique. He stood out.

Topics: Team, Son, Cristiano Ronaldo

I don't have to be jealous of Barcelona because they have 100 years of history and have won the European Cup once. I have only been managing for five years and I have the same amount of Champions League trophies to my name.

Topics: Soccer, Football, Jealous

If at the end of the season I'm leaving the club, you have the right to come to me and say: 'Jose, you are a liar'

Topics: Liars, Leaving, Clubs

If you're not a big club, you choose one competition and you fight in that competition and forget the others. Big clubs - we cannot do this

Topics: Fighting, Competition, Clubs

When I face the media, maybe I don't feel it now, here with you, because it's a different sort of interview, but when I face the media before or after the game, I feel it as part of the game.

Topics: Media, Games, Different

My history as a manager cannot be compared with Frank Rijkaard's history. He has zero trophies and I have a lot of them.

source: - "Mourinho backs England's cause" by Jon Brodkin, www.theguardian.com. February 18, 2005.

Topics: Zero, Arrogant, Trophies

I always think there's our age in ID terms but then there's our real age because for me the real age is not the age on your ID. That's just a date when you were born. The real age, the real ID is your body, your brain, your attitude.

source: - Source: www.theguardian.com

Topics: Attitude, Real, Thinking

A player who dives and wins a penalty in Portugal, or Spain or Italy is considered clever, experienced, cunning, someone who understands the game. In England a player who wins a penalty like that is a cheat.

source: - "'Why go for 5-0 when 2-0 will do?' says Jose". Interview with David Shonfield, www.theguardian.com. January 14, 2006.

Topics: Soccer, Football, Clever, Portugal

You have to win and especially, as I have, you have to win a trophy for the first time.

Topics: Winning, Firsts, Trophies

So if one day the result becomes 3-3, for me it doesn't change my mind, because it's football, it's normal. What is not normal is that we haven't been scoring enough goals playing such good football as we've been playing in the last few weeks.

Topics: Football, Goal, Mind, Good Football

It's a pity we can't play in two or three days as I like to play straight away after a bad game

Topics: Games, Play, Two, Bad Games

My family love living in London. It is a fantastic city and a city such as this deserves to host the Olympic Games.

Topics: Family, Games, Cities

So when they have Mourinho and Benitez joining the Premiership they should say it's good for us, maybe these guys have something new to give.

Topics: Giving, Guy, Joining, Mourinho

Yes, Manchester United are the best team in England, but you have to ask how good has the Premier League been since I left? If I was at a top club in England I think the title race might have been a lot closer this year.

source: - "2008-09 I could replace Ferguson at Old Trafford, says Mourinho". www.theguardian.com. March 8, 2009.

Topics: Team, Thinking, Race

I think boring is a team that plays at home and can not score a goal.

Topics: Football, Team, Home

If Ashley Cole is ready we have 15 players for the final. I'll have to choose between Hilario, who's not bad playing forward or I'll bring in one of the kids.

Topics: Soccer, Football, Kids, Ashley

I followed an Italian manager and it cannot be easy when you follow a manager who thinks very differently.

Topics: Italian, Thinking, Easy

Brendan's chihuahua doesn't do that. During the week it sleeps, eats and trains a little bit. So I have to say his chihuahua is a privileged one.

Topics: Football, Sleep, League, Chihuahua