José Mourinho during a press conference (Joao Gregorio / ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)
In an interview with *La Gazzetta dello Sport*, José Mourinho opened up about personal and intriguing topics without straying far from football. His remarks reveal a seldom-seen side of the Portuguese coach, currently being courted by Real Madrid.
**Being ‘The Special One’**
“Sometimes it’s exhausting, even embarrassing. I don’t like it when I go to a restaurant without a reservation and, as if by magic, a table appears for me. I think if I weren’t who I am, that wouldn’t happen. That’s why I don’t like it.”
**Favorite Places in Milan**
“I’d say San Siro because it was my home and brought me so much joy. Then the Hotel Principe di Savoia, where I stayed when I arrived to sign for Inter. And finally, the Duomo, because that’s where we celebrated after a victory.”
**The Man Behind the Coach**
“If I had to tell my story as a man, I’d start with an episode I obviously don’t remember. I was born at home, and that day my father, who was a footballer, had a match. Right at the moment of my birth, he came back with all his teammates, saw me, and then left to play. Who knows, maybe that’s why I decided to become a coach.”
José Mourinho’s coaching staff (Sport)
**The Coach’s Turning Point**
“When my boss decided to leave the club to coach the Dutch national team [Van Gaal], I had to decide whether to look for another boss or take a risk and, so to speak, take charge of a team. I decided it was time to take that risk.”
**A Victory That Fills Him with Pride**
“The next one.”
**The Toughest Decision**
“I left Inter. I had just won the Champions League, after winning the league and the Coppa Italia in the same season, and it had been incredibly tough. And then I went to Real Madrid.”
**A Game He’d Love to Replay**
“We were knocked out by a goal that wasn’t a goal—Luis García’s [in the 2005 Champions League semi-final, playing for Chelsea against Liverpool]—because the ball didn’t cross the line. If goal-line technology had existed, we would have won and reached the final.”
**The Player He’d Bury (in Terms of Admiration)**
“I like many players on this Inter team, but none of them would have been part of the treble-winning squad. I adore Lautaro, but I admire Milito three times more because I’m talking about one of the members of that team. Milito was one of those who gave me the most.”
Mourinho celebrated at Camp Nou after eliminating Barça from the Champions League (Agencias)
**Relationship with Criticism**
“I’m immune. The most important thing is knowing who you are, regardless of what others say.”
**Beautiful Football or Results-Oriented Football?**
“I like a player who wins; I don’t like a player who loses. The quality of the players is more important than the coach’s ideas.”
**Elegance on the Pitch**
“I don’t like clown coaches, those who look like they just left school, a nightclub, or a bar with their friends. On the pitch? Zidane is the first one that comes to mind. Marco Materazzi will be angry with me, but watching Zizou play was a pleasure.”
**The City**
“The most important thing is to be where the people I love are, even if it’s in the Sahara Desert. But for me, the most beautiful city in the world is Rome.”
