Tottenham Hotspur fans will still be wondering how they didn’t win anything with Jose Mourinho in the dugout.
The man is a serial winner. From Premier League titles to Champions League glory. He has won the lot.
It probably doesn’t help matters that the maritime-like figure Daniel Levy sacked Jose Mourinho as Tottenham manager one week before a League Cup final, but that’s the way he operates.
The 2024 Champions League final took centre stage on Saturday at Wembley with Real Madrid beating Borussia Dortmund 2-0.
There was a bit of a Spurs theme in the build-up to the UK’s coverage of the game because Mourinho and Gareth Bale were alongside each other doing punditry work for TNT Sports.
Albeit for a brief period, Bale, who was on loan at Tottenham from Real Madrid before Euro 2020, worked under Mourinho and he expressed how he ‘loved’ it.
The five-time Champions League winner admitted that he was past his best at the time, but he still had a ‘very good’ relationship with the legendary coach at Hotspur Way, as he told TNT Sports.
At that time, games were being played closed doors because of COVID, so things were very, very different.
That was touched upon by Mourinho and he dropped some truth bombs by stating ‘that was not football’ because of the lack of crowd.
But in typical Mourinho style, he couldn’t help but aim a cheeky dig at Bale by mentioning how the Golf-loving Welshman was ‘already thinking about winning Augusta’ when he was in north London.
Jose Mourinho and Gareth Bale at Tottenham Hotspur
Rio Ferdinand asked Bale ‘What it was like being managed by Mourinho?’, but the new Fenerbahce coach interrupted and answered himself:
“But that was not football,” responded Mourinho, with Bale agreeing. The legendary coach added: “COVID. Empty stadiums. That was not football.”
Bale then stated: “It was difficult and it was different. That’s why I started drinking coffee to get that adrenaline. I loved working with Jose. It was a pleasure. It was something I always wanted to do was work with him. It was only for a short period of time, at the end of my career and not in my prime. The relationship we had was very good and I loved working with him.”
Mourinho then joked: “At that time, he was already thinking about winning Augusta.”
Real Madrid beat Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final
Spurs fans will know the feeling too well. The mood of the Dortmund fans will be at an all-time low, even though they will be proud of their team and how they managed to get to the Champions League final.
The German club were underdogs throughout. Even go back to their Group of Death which involved Newcastle United. They weren’t even backed to get out of that.
Tottenham found themselves in a similar situation under Mauricio Pochettino. That run to the final was memorable. But the defeat in Madrid to Liverpool is one fans want to wipe from their memory.
But that’s what happens when you are up against European heavyweights. Liverpool have six titles to their name for a reason.
And Real Madrid are the kings of Europe for a reason, with a staggering 15 titles and counting now.
Not forgetting someone called Kylian Mbappe will be landing on their doorstep pretty soon. It wouldn’t be a surprise if they continue to dominate in years to come.
