“The little guy was not coachable” - When Jose Mourinho made his opinion clear on Lionel Messi
Jose Mourinho admitted earlier this year that Lionel Messi was the one player he would have loved to sign for his side. The current Fenerbahce manager claimed that the Argentine was the best player of this generation and did not even need coaching.
During a conversation with TNT Sports, Mourinho was asked to name the one player he never managed to sign despite being keen on getting him. The former Chelsea manager was quick to name Messi, saying:
"Of course, I would have to say the little guy. But the little guy was not coachable. But I have to say, in our generation, he was the best."
In the same quick-fire interview, Mourinho was asked to name the best player he worked with but the tactician refused to pick one. He said:
"You know, it is very hard to say, to speak about [John] Terry, [Frank] Lampard, [Didier] Drogba, Ronaldo, Xabi Alonso, Man United, all the Inter guys, I don't know."
Jose Mourinho has faced Messi many times during his managerial career. The Portuguese has always expressed his admiration for the Inter Miami star and has picked him as the GOAT of the current generation.
Lionel Messi and Jose Mourinho came close to working together at Chelsea
Jose Mourinho almost managed to lure Lionel Messi to Chelsea in 2014, as Sky Sports' Gianluca Di Marzio claimed back in 2020. The Portuguese manager convinced the Blues to pay the Argentine's €250 million release clause but the move collapsed after Barcelona managed to change the legendary footballer's mind.
Fabrizio Romano gave some insights into what went behind the scenes, claiming in 2022 (via BarcaUniversal):
"It was not that close but Chelsea were really trying to sign Lionel Messi in 2014, with José Mourinho as the manager. They were really pushing to try and persuade Messi to join them. They [Chelsea] were contacting people close to Leo Messi, discussing with lawyers close to Messi to try to convince him for a new opportunity in the Premier League.
"But then everything collapsed because Barcelona was something special for Lionel Messi. He decided together with his family to stay in Catalonia and continue his experience with Barça. Roman Abramovich wanted Leo Messi. He was seriously trying to sign Messi as the new star for Chelsea but the deal collapsed."
The talks between the two parties took place during Messi's tax evasion case (via Sky Sports). Jose Mourinho had moved back to Chelsea for his second stint and even held a video call with the Argentine to convince him.