Jose Mourinho: Tottenham boss says he is motivated by his 'Mourinistas'
Jose Mourinho: "Honestly, I get my strength from myself, but mainly from the people that I love and the people that I know, they love me, even if many of them I don't know them... I used to call them the Mourinistas... I have so many more Mourinistas around the world... I play for them"
Friday 26 March 2021 12:05, UK
Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho has expressed his love and gratitude to his own fans all over the world, who he affectionally calls his 'Mourinistas'.
Mourinho is one of the most successful modern managers in football history, guiding Porto to a Champions League title in 2004 against all odds before a trophy-laden first spell at Chelsea where he won back-to-back Premier League titles as well as the FA Cup and two EFL Cups.
He then moved to Inter Milan where he achieved the treble in 2010 - Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League - and more trophies followed at his next club Real Madrid with a Copa Del Ray triumph in 2011 and a La Liga title in 2012.
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The Portuguese boss returned to Chelsea, delivering another Premier League trophy and EFL Cup win in 2015, and later moved to Manchester United where he lifted yet another EFL Cup and helped them win the Europa League.
He has yet to deliver a trophy for Spurs since his arrival in 2019 - with the north London side set to face Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in the 2021 EFL Cup final on April 25 - but his success has spawned lots of fans all over the globe.
Speaking as part of a virtual live event with Spurs' club sponsors and football fans of Singapore, the 58-year-old admitted his own supporters were a big motivation for him personally as he attempts to end Tottenham's 13-year trophy drought.
"Honestly, I get my strength from myself, but mainly from the people that I love and the people that I know, they love me, even if many of them I don't know them," Mourinho said.
"I never met them. I used to call them the Mourinistas because in Portugal we use these 'inistas' in the end of the name of the club that we love to express to supporters.
"So, for example, if you are from Porto, you say Portista, if you are from Benfica, you say Benfikista. And if you are from Mourinho, we say Mourinista. And I have so many more Mourinistas around the world that I, I play for them."
Mourinho holds a number of world records, including most games unbeaten at home in the Premier League (77), fewest goals conceded in a Premier League season (15) and longest unbeaten home run by a manager (nine years).
Asked about how he deals with critics, Mourinho added: "I don't think anybody is going to discuss rocket science with the guys from NASA, with everybody around the world.
"They think they can discuss football with one of the most important managers in the game. That's the beauty of football. I got used to it. I appreciate that. So that's fine for me."
Mourinho also spoke of the present generation of players needing to be more responsible and highlighted Swedish international striker, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, being motivated from the sport and not what the sport would give him.
He said: "If everybody outside football, they think is the coach that is going to make miracles and transform and unmotivated player in a motivated player and non-professional player in a professional player, if somebody thinks that is just to to put responsibilities on the person that that cannot make miracles and to take away responsibilities from the individual.
"And I believe in these in these new generations, this is happening a lot. Even (Zlatan) Ibrahimovic with thirty nine years old, this is not people that is in love with what football can give you because they have everything.
"This is people that is in love with football. So when you are a 12-year-old, I think you have really to be in love with football."
