“Please don't call me arrogant, but I'm European champion and I think I'm a special one.”
— First press conference as Chelsea manager, 2004
Quotes & stories
The Special One in his own words
Quotes
“I prefer not to speak. If I speak, I am in big trouble.”
— Chelsea, a famous non-answer about refereeing, 2014
“He is a specialist in failure. I'm not.”
— On Arsène Wenger, 2014
“Respect, respect, respect. I won more Premier Leagues alone than the other 19 managers together.”
— Manchester United press conference, holding up three fingers, 2018
“Pressure? What pressure? Pressure is poor people in the world trying to feed their families.”
— Chelsea, on the 'pressure' of a title race
“I am not Harry Potter.”
— Chelsea, asked to perform miracles
“Omelettes, eggs. No eggs, no omelettes. And it depends on the quality of the eggs.”
— Chelsea, on building a squad without new signings
“If I wanted to have an easy job I would have stayed at Porto – beautiful blue chair, the UEFA Champions League trophy, God, and after God, me.”
— Chelsea, explaining why he left Porto, 2004
“Young players are a little bit like melons. Only when you open and taste the melon are you 100% sure that the melon is good.”
— Chelsea, on developing young players
“As we say in Portugal, they brought the bus and they left the bus in front of the goal.”
— After a 0-0 against Tottenham – the birth of 'parking the bus', 2004
“It was the most beautiful defeat of my life.”
— Inter, after reaching the Champions League final at Camp Nou with ten men, 2010
“I'm the happy one.”
— On returning to Chelsea, 2013
“This is football from the 19th century.”
— Chelsea, on West Ham's defensive approach, 2014
“One day some poor rival is going to pay for the chances we've missed today.”
— Inter, after a goalless draw, 2010
“I'm one of you.”
— To the Chelsea supporters on his return, 2013
Legendary stories
2005
The laundry basket escape
Banned from the touchline for a Champions League tie with Bayern Munich, he was widely reported to have slipped into the Chelsea dressing room hidden in a kit man's laundry basket.
2004
Birth of the Special One
At his first Chelsea press conference he told the English media 'I think I'm a special one' – and owned the headlines for the next two decades.
2004
The Old Trafford sprint
When Costinha's late goal knocked Manchester United out of the Champions League, the Porto coach sprinted down the touchline in his overcoat – the image that introduced him to the world.
2010
Dancing in the sprinklers
After Inter knocked out Barcelona at Camp Nou, the home side switched on the sprinklers. Mourinho ran across the soaking pitch with his finger in the air.
2010
The Materazzi embrace
Moments after winning the treble in Madrid, Mourinho stopped his car outside the Bernabéu to hug a tearful Marco Materazzi. Both men cried; he never returned to Inter's bench.
2010
The handcuffs gesture
Furious at the referee in a match against Sampdoria, he crossed his wrists towards the cameras as if handcuffed – and earned a touchline ban.
2006
Medals into the crowd
Celebrating Chelsea's second straight Premier League title, he threw his winner's medal into the stands – and then the replacement too.
2011
The Clásico eye-poke
During a touchline brawl in the Supercopa, he poked Barcelona assistant Tito Vilanova in the eye – the most infamous image of the Mourinho–Guardiola Clásico war.
2014
'We are a little horse'
Top of the table with Chelsea, he insisted his team was only a 'little horse that needs milk' – a classic way to take pressure off his players.
2014
'Specialist in failure'
Years of feuding with Arsène Wenger peaked when he called the Arsenal manager 'a specialist in failure'.
2018
Cupping his ear in Turin
After Manchester United's late comeback win at Juventus, he walked onto the pitch and cupped his ear to the home fans who had been abusing him all night.
2018
The 'football heritage' monologue
Under fire at Manchester United, he delivered a long press-conference lecture on his 'football heritage' and the respect it deserved.
2023
Confronting the referee in the car park
After Roma lost the Europa League final to Sevilla on penalties, he confronted referee Anthony Taylor in the stadium car park – and was banned by UEFA.
2022
Tears in Tirana
Winning the first Europa Conference League with Roma, he became the first coach to win the Champions League, the UEFA Cup/Europa League and the Conference League – and cried on the bench.