José Mourinho spent an absolutely brilliant weekend between Egypt and Saudi Arabia. In the land of the Pharaohs, the Portuguese coach made a statement that left Mohamed Salah’s fans speechless.
José Mourinho is a successful coach who has won at almost every club he has worked with. At Chelsea, the Special One met a certain Mohamed Salah. Of course, he was not the Mohamed Salah of today, but a young player with quite visible potential who needed to progress.
José Mourinho did not hesitate to get rid of the Egyptian, just as he did with Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku. Today, both players have become undisputed stars of modern football. But in an interview with The Obi One Podcast, José Mourinho pleaded not guilty and explained that he was not responsible for Salah’s departure from Chelsea at the time.
“When people say that I let Salah go, I say the exact opposite. I bought Salah. I’m the one who said to buy this guy. He was supposed to go from Basel to Liverpool and I fought and waged a war to get him to come to Chelsea. Then came the moment when, to be a Chelsea player, you had to perform or wait. He didn’t want to wait, he wanted to go out on loan. Then Chelsea decided to sell him. He went to Fiorentina and Roma, and it wasn’t me who decided to sell,” explained the Portuguese coach.
Egypt’s best player, Mourinho calms Salah down
Before attending the boxing match between Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou, José Mourinho was joined by Ronaldo Luis Nazario and Francesco Totti for the Egyptian Super Cup final between Al Ahly and Zamalek in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Before the match, the former Chelsea and Real Madrid coach praised Al Ahly and compared them to the legendary Spanish club Real Madrid. “Al Ahly see themselves as Real Madrid because they play in all the championships. We always see them at the FIFA Club World Cup,” Mourinho told the press.
It was at this point that he praised Egyptian Pharaohs legend Mohamed Aboutirika, describing him as “the best”. For Mourinho, Aboutrika is the best Egyptian footballer he has seen, much to the dismay of Mohamed Salah’s fans.
In any case, the Special One has declared his love for the now-retired footballer, who was a workaholic and unplayable when he played for Egypt and Al Ahly. “They had Aboutrika who, in my opinion, was a great player and the best I’ve seen. I like him a lot,” added Mourinho.
José Mourinho is probably not wrong, Mohamed Aboutrika is a legend of African football and it is not surprising to hear the Special One praising him even though he did not play in Europe. He won the African Footballer of the Year award in 2008, beating the previous year’s winner, Emmanuel Adebayor. He was one of five nominees for the 2006 title and one of ten nominees for the 2013 title.
Jose Mourinho:
— Micky Jnr (@MickyJnr__) March 8, 2024
“Al Ahly considers themselves as Real Madrid as they competes in all championships. We always see them at the FIFA Club World Cup. They had Aboutrika who in my opinion was a great player and the best. I love him a lot.” #YallaYaAhly #AfricanFootball pic.twitter.com/7yguFOuKdG
Aboutrika won the African Cup of Nations in 2006 with Egypt. He also scored the winning goal to help the Pharaohs win the 2008 African Cup of Nations.
He also helped Al Ahly win the bronze medal at the FIFA Club World Cup in 2006. He also won 23 trophies with the club, including seven consecutive league titles and five CAF Champions League titles.
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