After his side won the Premier League title on Sunday, Chelsea FC manager Jose Mourinho was asked if he could ever match the accomplishments of Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson. The former United boss won the Premier League 13 times along with plenty of other trophies but Mourinho focused on the league trophies and said that it was impossible.
Mourinho, as quoted by ITV News, said “I have a long way to go, but Sir Alex left the bar in an impossible position for anyone. I cannot win 13 Premier Leagues. I can win 13 championships. I can. I have eight, I think I can go to 13. But 13 Premier Leagues, no, no chance.”
The two managers have had an interesting relationship ever since Jose Mourinho was at Porto. After Mourinho knocked out Ferguson’s Manchester United in the Champions League the two sat down and shared a glass of wine after the match. This became a tradition between the two managers every time they faced each other including Mourinho’s time at Chelsea FC. The pair would often clash on the field but it was obvious that Mourinho respected Ferguson far more then he did any other manager.
Contrast Mourinho’s attitude to Ferguson, whom he calls boss, to the way he speaks about Pep Guardiola or Arsene Wenger. He is often dismissive of the others but he never has anything bad to say about Alex Ferguson. The pair even shared a glass of wine after Mourinho’s Real Madrid ended Fergie’s last run in the Champions League.
The bond between the two was so tight that it even lead to speculation that Mourinho was always simply gunning for the Manchester United job. After he was sacked at Real Madrid, many United fans believed that he would be making the trek up north to Manchester. Obviously that was not the case as he accepted the job at Stamford Bridge instead.
Mourinho is also correct in pointing out that Ferguson’s Premier League record is an impossible achievement to match. The primary advantage that Ferguson had over any other manager in the Premier League has been his longevity and the financial status of his club.
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He spent more than 25 years at Manchester United and won every available trophy to him in his time there. Between his two spells, Mourinho has only spent six years at Chelsea but has won three Premier League titles and eight other trophies with the club including the FA Cup and League Cup.
Perhaps if Jose Mourinho does get to spend 25 years at Chelsea then he could match Alex Ferguson’s record at Manchester United. The only problem now is that Jose Mourinhohas already said that he would like to manage an international team before he retires and would like to manage Chelsea for at least 10 more years.
Mourinho has some work to do if he ever plans on catching Ferguson but he does not need to do that to cement his legacy. He is already one of the all-time greats and as he said Ferguson has set the bar at an impossible level but if anyone can do it it would be The Special One.
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