"Sir Alex Ferguson or Guardiola? I choose Ranieri"

Jose Mourinho stopped by his former player John Obi Mikel's podcast and this time he was asked about the best manager in the history of the Premier League. The Portuguese, who won the trophy 3 times in his two spells at Chelsea, was asked to choose between Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola, but he had another choice.

“They are impossible to compare, it's impossible to compare two different generations or the potential each team has had to do certain things. They are both historic Premier League managers, but for me the most legendary is Rainieri. Winning with Leicester is unique. To win five or six trophies with United or City in those generations is unbelievable, but when you win with Leicester there is no doubt. It was the most incredible trophy I have ever seen and experienced,” Mourinho explained.

Back in the day, when Ranieri was in charge of Roma and Mourinho was at Inter in Italy, the two had a big dispute, which was resolved when Ranieri was in charge of Leicester. The Portuguese had provoked him at a press conference and Ranieri had responded naturally: “I'm not like him, I don't need to win to be sure of what I'm doing. For me, it's also good to lose from time to time, because you have to be good even in difficult situations”.

Mourinho's response to those words was true to the Portuguese's character: “He's right. I am demanding and I need to win to feel confident about certain things. That's why I've won so many trophies and he has the mentality of someone who doesn't need to win at almost 60 years of age”.

However, as time went by, the relationship between the two improved and the praise in the press room were not uncommon in recent years. This season, the Portuguese and the Italian could meet in the Europa League, as Fenerbahce and Roma are on the same side of the bracket. The Turks beat Anderlecht 3-0 in the first leg and are through, after which they will face either Rangers or Olympiacos. The Italians, meanwhile, drew 1-1 with Porto and, if they qualify, will play Athletic and Lazio in the round of 16. The winners of these matches will meet in the quarter-finals, where Mourinho and Ranieri could meet again.

 

February 19, 2025