Jose Mourinho has always been a character that is hard to explain in layman terms. The legendary Portuguese manager is not only one of the best managers in the world, but also a type of guy who is down to earth and arrogant at the same time. Famously known as “The Special One”, Mourinho has won accolades that very few managers have been able to win.
Jose Mourinho’s stint as the Inter Milan manager has to be one of the most iconic periods of the club’s history. Everyone is familiar with Mario Balotelli’s red card story, but recently there is another story from Mourinho’s Inter days that is making rounds in the media involving Brazilian defender Maicon who at the receiving end of Mourinho’s antics.
Jose Mourinho devised plan to prevent Maicon from going on Christmas holiday
Jose Mourinho has always been a no-nonsense manager, and his stories from the dressing room vouches for the character that he is.
During his time at Inter, Maicon, apparently, used to miss games by getting suspended before Christmas, so that he could visit his home in Brazil for the holidays. Mourinho, however, got to know about Maicon’s pattern and dared him not to get the fifth yellow card resulting in suspension, and threatened to cancel his vacation.
Maicon, desperate to visit his home, asked if he could go back home if he scored against Siena, the match right before Christmas. Mourinho denied and said he could go if he scored two goals. Maicon ended up scoring two goals in the match, took his shirt off while celebrating, got a yellow card and left for home after the matchday.
Mourinho appreciated Maicon for the efforts by giving him another week off but was in praise of the defender despite seeing his plan fail in a different way. Mourinho, however, could not face Inter this season due to suspension despite looking forward to meeting his former suitors.
Mourinho’s historical Inter Milan stint
Jose Mourinho, recently linked to a job in Saudi Arabia, has been loved wherever he has gone in his career. From multiple stints at Chelsea, to ending Guardiola’s dominance in Spain, the Special One has done it all.
However, his Inter Milan stint from 2008 to 2010 remains the most historical one in his career. It was not one of Mourinho’s “Park the Bus” teams, but was one of the most dominating teams one had seen. With players like Diego Milito, Wesley Sneijder, Samuel Eto’o, Lucio, and many more, that too in their prime years, Mourinho’s Inter was a feared and unstoppable force.
Mourinho ended the 2009/10 season winning the historic treble, consisting of the UEFA Champions League, the Serie A title and the Coppa Nazionale. Mourniho ended up with two league titles and two domestic cups on Italian soil. In the 2009/10 season, Inter played 57 matches, winning 37 of them, while scoring 99 goals in total.
Do you think Inter Milan, over Chelsea, Real Madrid and Porto, was Jose Mourinho’s best stint as a manager? Let us know in the comments.
