AS Roma coach Jose Mourinho recently claimed that he has never selected a best 11 consisting of players he has coached, with the exception of Son Heung-min.
“Mourinho said he has never named an all-time best 11, which is mostly made up of Cristiano Ronaldo and Chelsea players,” UK’s TalkSPORT reported on Friday (June 15). Mourinho recently dismissed the rumors as ‘fake news’.”
The UK’s Mirror recently revealed Mourinho’s top 11, saying, “Mourinho has revealed a list of players he has coached during his legendary career.”
A native of Portugal, Mourinho began his coaching career in 2000 with Benfica in his native league, before moving on to manage Leiria and then Porto. Mourinho’s rise to stardom began in the 2003/04 UEFA Champions League, when he won the trophy by defeating AS Monaco (France), before heading to Chelsea, a newly rich club.
After winning back-to-back league titles at Chelsea, including the Premier League’s all-time record for fewest goals conceded (15), Mourinho moved to Inter Milan in Italy, where he led the Nerazzurri to their first treble (Serie A, Coppa Italia, Champions League) in 2009/10. He then went on to manage world champions Real Madrid, followed by stints at Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, and now AS Roma.
According to the Mirror, Mourinho appeared on a podcast by his former Chelsea pupil, John Obi Mikel, where he named his best 11 players he has ever coached.
The roster, based on a 4-3-3 formation, included Eden Hazard and Didier Drogba, whom he coached at Chelsea, and Cristiano Ronaldo, whom he coached at Real. There were no names of Harry Kane or Son Heung-min, who worked together at Tottenham.
Mesut Özil (Real), Frank Lampard and Claude Makelele (Chelsea) were selected in midfield, while the defense included William Gallas, John Terry (Chelsea), William Carvalho (Chelsea-Real) and Javier Sanetti (Inter Milan). The goalkeeper was Petr Cech (Chelsea).
Mourinho said during his time in charge of Tottenham: “Son Heung-min shows every season how good he is. He doesn’t need to prove that he is world class.” However, he didn’t include Son in this list.
Many Tottenham fans were disappointed, but luckily, Mourinho’s best 11 list turned out to be a fake. Mourinho himself took to social media to explain.
According to TalkSPORT, Mourinho wrote: “Jose Mourinho’s best 11? Fake news. I have never done anything like this. I have always refused to name a best 11. It’s impossible and I will never do it. It’s all fake news,” he said.
“I’ve met a lot of the best players ever. The most important thing is what they brought to me. All the players who gave me everything – effort, blood, sweat, soul – are in my top 11. That’s why I’ve always refused to choose a best 11. I love and respect my players. I ask you to respect my career and my students,” he added.
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