Jose Mourinho names 3 greatest players in history, picks between Messi and Ronaldo
da pinnacle： Legendary manager Jose Mourinho picked his three greatest players in football history, choosing between modern-day icons Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
da jogodeouro： The Portuguese boss has worked with some world-class players during his managerial career, representing the home dugouts at Stamford Bridge, San Siro, Bernabeu and Old Trafford during his career.
As well as managing Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Manchester United, Mourinho has also won European trophies with FC Porto and AS Roma.
The ‘Special One’ has also had a lot to say during his career, producing some brilliant quotes over the last 20 years.
Mourinho was asked back in 2016 for his top three players of all time, and as to be expected, he didn’t shy away from giving an answer.
Jose Mourinho’s 3 greatest players in history 3 Pele Brazil
One of Mourinho’s three GOAT’s is World Cup hero Pele, who broke goalscoring records during his playing days.
A forward for the big occasion with Brazil, records say Pele scored 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, with more than 600 of those coming for Santos.
Pele’s World Cup stats
Games
14
Goals
12
World Cup titles
3
Talking after Pele passed away in 2022, Mourinho paid tribute to the Brazilian, calling an interaction with him as one of his “proudest moments”.
“In 2005 I received the BBC award directly from the king’s hands, and to this day it’s one of my proudest moments. I was so so happy to have him in Manchester where we had such a nice chat and nice time. Rest in peace, King Pele, and thinking of his loved ones. I am very sad.”
2 Diego Maradona Argentina
Also on Mourinho’s list is Diego Maradona, with the pair having a close relationship before the latter’s passing in 2020.
A classic number 10 who helped transform the game, the Argentine arguably single handedly won his country the World Cup in 1986. At club level, Maradona is best known for his time with Italian side Napoli but also played for Barcelona in the 1980s.
Diego Maradona’s Argentina stats
Games
84
Goals
32
Assists
27
World Cups won
1
Mourinho said Maradona would regularly call him and has vowed to continue the attacker’s legacy.
“I made sure that my son knows a lot about him, even being born after he was a player. I know my son will make sure when he is a father he will not let his kids forget. It was a bit similar with Di Stefano; I never saw him play football, but my dad made sure I knew a lot about him.”
1 Lionel Messi Argentina
Despite never working with Lionel Messi, coming up against him on numerous occasions during his time as Real Madrid manager, Mourinho has picked the Argentine over Cristiano Ronaldo.
Between 2010 and 2013, Mourinho and Madrid faced Barcelona and Messi 27 times but only won eight of those meetings against the Catalan giants.
Years Messi has won the Ballon d’Or
Club
2009
Barcelona
2010
Barcelona
2011
Barcelona
2012
Barcelona
2015
Barcelona
2019
Barcelona
2021
Barcelona
2023
Inter Miami
“One in particular? I don’t have a player I can tell you. Messi has never needed a coach. Who tells you ‘I coached Messi’? It’s absurd. Messi knows everything, he was born with everything. You can only say that I had the honour of having trained him.”
Mourinho’s reply when asked for his three best players was: