In the year 2009, Jose Mourinho committed the most heinous act of his career, which was committed at the expense of one of his own players.
During their time together at Inter Milan, the legendary manager, who is currently at Fenerbahce, is one of the most entertaining personalities in the history of football. He is also the subject of one of the best stories that can be summarized by Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Towards the end of the 2008–2009 season, Inter were able to secure a 3-0 victory over Siena at the San Siro, where they played the match. Ibrahimovic made numerous requests to be replaced, but Mourinho refused to budge from his position. He ultimately concluded that the Swede was not making a sufficient amount of effort.
Luis Figo and Mario Balotelli were both substituted out for Davide Santon and Mancini, respectively, prior to Ibrahimovic scoring the third goal with a powerful left-footed finish in the 73rd minute.
Following Ibrahimovic’s goal, Mourinho made his third and final substitution, which nonetheless caught everyone off guard. This occurred immediately after Ibrahimovic had scored. After the substitution of second-choice goalkeeper Paolo Orlandoni for goalkeeper Julio Cesar, Ibrahimovic was allowed to remain on the field and watched in disbelief as the substitution took place.
Because of this, Ibrahimovic was required to play the full 90 minutes of the game. In 2014, Mourinho responded to the incident by discussing it and explaining why he continued to keep his No. 9 on the field.
The following is what Mourinho had to say about the situation: “He was very angry and upset as he came at me.” He was yelling, “We are champions, I helped a lot to make you champions, but now nobody is helping me.” He was referring to the former group. Now is the time for me to [come off].
“However, I pretended that I did not comprehend what he was saying. I retorted, “What?” What is it? Would you like something to drink, or would you like some water?’ as well as I hurled a bottle at him. His response was, “Here, take a drink, and then leave.” A few minutes later, he scored a goal that was absolutely stunning.
Inter were crowned champions a day prior to the game with Siena as rivals AC Milan fell to a 2-1 defeat away at Udinese.
A single goal was all that was needed for Ibrahimovic to win the Golden Boot, which he did by defeating both Diego Milito and Marco Di Vaio. He finished the league with 25 goals scored.
He would leave for Barcelona in the summer, with Samuel Eto’o heading in the opposition direction and helping Inter win the treble in the 2009/10 campaign.
However, Mourinho and Ibrahimovic were reunited at Manchester United, winning both the Carabao Cup and Europa League in 2017.
Mourinho hails Ibrahimovic
Although Mourinho has managed a large number of players of world-class caliber over the course of his career, he has a special connection with Ibrahimovic. He has stated that “a player who gave me as much as Ibra will always be in my heart.” At the same time that he did a lot for Inter, Inter did a lot for him. I enjoy being in Ibra’s presence.
“I wish him the best of luck and I greet him whenever I have the opportunity to do so, with the exception of when he is competing against me. In addition to being one of the most talented strikers in the world, he is also very special.
