MILAN – "I'm no mug,” replied Jose Mourinho in response to a probing question in his first press conference as Inter coach. Sparking roars of laughter.
The comic effect is of course lost in translation, but when you consider that Mourinho was speaking articulate Italian having only just set foot in the country, that he'd chosen a mildly offensive Milanese dialectal term (pirla), that he'd accompanied it with a theatrical pause, a pout of the lips and a wry delivery, it's not hard to understand why he was an instant success at Inter.
Mourinho was like a breath of fresh air. Something different to what Italy was used to. Truly unique.
That first news conference would be the first of countless memorable meetings with the media, in which he coined new terms, offered profound reasoning and inspired hundreds and hundreds of newspaper headlines.
Together with the phenomenal results he achieved on the pitch, it would not be an exaggeration to say the Portuguese redefined the art of coaching. Or at least, the art of being a coach in the media-oriented 21st century.
Utter the word 'Mourinho' to any Inter fan and you press the play button on a personal archive of unforgettable images, running from that initial news conference through to Inter's treble triumph and his goodbye, which of course coincided with the happiest day in recent Nerazzurri history, the 2019/10 Champions League trophy.
One of the most striking images in anyone's highlights reel is that tearful hug he shared with Marco Materazzi – another one who, like Mourinho, has never taken defeat lightly.
Son of a humble coach who didn't enjoy the best of luck – and under whom he played during his time at Rio Ave Futebol Clube – Mourinho has always placed psychology and innovation at the centre of his coaching philosophy. He knows exactly how to turn situations around to the way he wants them, providing the listener with the soundbite he wants them to hear.
"We could only have lost this derby if we'd been reduced to six men – with seven we'd still have won it.” Another of his famous lines, produced on 24 January 2010 after a Milan derby prepared to perfection and utterly dominated, despite played most of it with ten men – and the final minutes with nine.
It was the best way to reiterate Inter's supremacy in Serie A and to celebrate his birthday, which came 48 hours after those goals by Diego Milito and Goran Pandev.
Now into his fifties, Mourinho is aware of what he has given the game. And how much he has received from it too – especially from the black-and-blue side of Milan.
Two league titles sprinkled with an array of records, a Coppa Italia crown and, of course, that Champions League triumph which realised the dream of millions of fans besides the Moratti family. None more so than Massimo, who thus followed in the footsteps of his father, who back in the day had been flanked by another emblematic leader in Helenio Herrera.
History does indeed repeat itself and Mourinho was the man to make it happen at Inter. A man who enjoys a dramatic pause before making his mark. And who cares if the pause had been 50 years in coming.
Who cares if those tears he shed on the day of the final revealed another, softer side of his personality. It only served to make him all the more human. All the more Interista – which, by his own admission, he remains to this day.
Happy birthday Jose, 54 today.
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