© EuroFootball.com
In July 2004, arriving at a London club, Jose Mourinho introduced himself as an "exceptional" coach. He justified his reputation with constant victories on the field and never-ending scandalous comments off the field.
His latest outburst targeted his colleague from Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, whom he called a "voyeur", constantly talking about the Premier League champions: "I don't even know if he wants my job. He just fell in love with Chelsea."
During that period, hardly a week went by without J. Mourinho expressing his sharp opinion. Here are some of his best "gems":
About his arrival - June 2004 "I intend to make every effort to improve the current situation and create a real football team that reflects my philosophy and approach to football."
"We have the best players, and, forgive me if I sound arrogant, the best coach works in our team."
"I don't support young or old coaches. To be honest, there are only good or bad, those who achieve fame and those who fail. Please do not consider me arrogant, but I am a European champion, which undoubtedly makes me exceptional."
"I by no means seek any special relationship with any of them (players). I don't like talking about individuals and personalities. Players don't win matches, teams win titles, and the team wins awards."
About his new job - June 2004 "If I had been looking for an easy job... I would have stayed at Porto club - a beautiful blue chair, UEFA Champions League trophies, God, and then me."
About Tottenham - September 2004 "As we say in Portugal - they arrived by bus and parked it in front of the goal. In fact, if I were a fan, I would be very upset because paying 50 pounds for such a match, where the opponents only think about defense? Today, one team aimed to win, while the other tried not to concede a goal - that is unfair due to the football we played."
About the 5-4 victory against Arsenal - November 2004 "It was definitely not a football match result, rather an ice hockey game... During training, I often tell players to play three against three, and when the score reaches 5-4, I send them to the dressing rooms because they have no idea about defense."
About Thierry Henry's quickly taken penalty and the 2-2 draw - December 2004 "I am more than angry. Angry is a pleasant word."
About Sir Alex Ferguson - January 2005 "Of course, when I turn 60, and 20 of them will compete in the same league, and everyone will greatly respect me, I will be able to talk to people and make them tremble a little."
About David Beckham - January 2005 "He is one of those I respect not only as a player but also as a person. After all, he is the captain of the England national team and was a European champion. I never criticized him, so any quotes claiming otherwise are lies because I never talked about him."
About the match against Blackburn - February 2005 "It poured rain only in this stadium tonight - our kit man saw it. Probably some microclimate has formed over this place because the field resembled a swimming pool."
Regarding the top position in the table - February 2005 "We are playing better than all the other teams certainly not because of the club's money. We will win all trophies solely due to my hard work."
About the loss to Barcelona - February 2005 "When I saw Frank Rijkaard (Barcelona's coach) entering the referees' room, I couldn't believe my eyes. However, when Didier Drogba was sent off the field (after the break), I was not surprised at all."
About... you decide what - March 2005 "The moral of this story is - don't listen to those who tell you to play the violin instead of the trumpet."
About Roman Abramovich - March 2005 "If he advised me on how to train the team, we would be at the bottom of the league table, and likewise, if I started getting involved in his business matters, we would go bankrupt."
