Legendary Jose Mourinho calls ‘little guy’ Lionel Messi ‘not coachable’

Jose Mourinho had faced Lionel Messi and his Barcelona side on multiple occasions, and has always been open about his praise for the Argentinean skipper.

Legendary Jose Mourinho calls ‘little guy’ Lionel Messi ‘not coachable’

Jose Mourinho termed Lionel Messi as 'uncoachable' (via TNT Sports and IMAGO)

Turkish side Fenerbahce’s new manager Jose Mourinho, in a recent interview following his appointment, shared some intriguing stories about teams and players. He interestingly referred to Argentine star Lionel Messi as ‘uncoachable’ while praising his exceptional skills and ‘unparalleled’ talent.

The legendary Portuguese manager, who is often regarded as ‘the Special One’, was appointed by Fenerbahce last week, replacing Ismail Kartal. Following his return to club football, he shared some of his thoughts in an interview with ex-Manchester United legend, Rio Ferdinand on TNT Sports. Mourinho opened up about his appreciation for Lionel Messi, admiring him as one of the best players of the generation.

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The former Inter Milan manager, who has managed several Argentine players and won the Champions League with the Nerazzurri featuring four of them, was asked about a player he never signed but wishes he had.

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He responded by mentioning ‘the little guy’, humorously noting that Messi wasn’t coachable in his best days. Apart from that, he also mentioned how he had almost broken his leg, in the Chelsea dressing room, during his stint in London.

One player that I never signed but wished I had? In my generation, of course, I would say the little guy (Messi). The little guy was not coachable but I have to say, in our generation, he was the best.
Jose Mourinho on Lionel Messi

This, for many, seemed to have settled the Messi-Ronaldo debate, with the former Los Blancos manager preferring the Inter Miami forward over his star pupil Cristiano Ronaldo. Although, this is not the first time Mourinho has sung praises of the 2022 World Cup winner.

Jose Mourinho calls Roma fans as the most ‘loyal’

The 61-year old legendary manager, while in an interview on TNT Sports, referred to the fans of his former side AS Roma as the most ‘loyal’, while admitting that Rome’s San Siro stadium is the greatest in the world.

Jose Mourinho Roma
A teary-eyed Jose Mourinho leaving the Roma training after getting sacked. (via IMAGO)

The interview comes days after the three-time Premier League winning manager was appointed by Turkish side Fenerbahce. This marks his return to coaching, five months after he was sacked by the Italian giants over poor performance. He was shown the way out, despite leading the club to a Conference League title in his very first season.

Despite spending an equal share of his career at other great clubs and stadiums, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Chelsea, and Inter Milan, he singled out the Roma fans and stadium as the best, to everyone’s surprise.

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