7 players who played under both Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola
Chelsea have been known to be very quick when conducting transfers and Pedro is the latest fish to have been caught by the Blues’ hook in the blink of an eye. As they snatched the unassuming Barcelona winger from the jaws of Manchester United, they merely followed a precedent they themselves have set over the past few years – other clubs scout, chart deals out, negotiate and even conduct medicals.However, this is a player schooled in Barcelona’s philosophy, promising to bring a different dimension to the struggling Chelsea. He could benefit from it too, with Mourinho’s steeliness embellishing Guardiola’s tactical ingenuity in Pedro’s game.But very few others have been that fortunate; playing under the best two managers of the time – exponents of vastly different schools of thought. We take a look at players who have played under both Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho.
#7 Samuel Eto\'o
The European treble is football’s hardest achievement, without a doubt. Clubs as big as Real Madrid and Juventus are yet to win it, making it the Holy Grail of every professional. Barcelona have won it twice while Manchester United, Inter Milan and Bayern Munich won it once.
Samuel Eto’o, however, has won not one, but two trebles. That too, with different clubs – Barcelona and Inter Milan. In consecutive years – 2009 and 2010. Under both Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho.
Initially seen as a discard by the Catalan coach, Eto’o’s industrious performances made him indispensable to Barcelona’s class of 2009. From discard to trump card, Eto’o had seen everything in a season where we he terrorized defences with Thierry Henry and Leo Messi. However, the mercurial Cameroonian was sold as makeweight in a Hollywood deal with Inter Milan, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic moving the other way.
Not someone to hang in the towel easily, Eto’o formed a deadly partnership with Argentinean marksman Diego Milito. Together with Jose Mourinho, the strikers dragged and forced the club past many a precarious situation. Within less than a year, Eto’o’s Inter Milan had beaten Guardiola’s Barcelona and won the treble. The transfer had come back to bite them.
Eto’o would play for Mourinho again, spending a season at Chelsea when the Portuguese boss took charge for a second time in 2013.
