The Portuguese coach experienced an explosive exchange with one of his managers at Manchester United, although years later fate brought them together again in Rome, where they left their differences behind and won together.
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Henrikh Mkhitaryancurrent player of the Inter Milanbroke his silence about one of the most tense and curious relationships of his career: the one he had with Jose Mourinho. In his autobiography My Life Always at the Centerthe Armenian footballer recalled the clashes with the Portuguese coach during his time in the Manchester Unitedand how time transformed a relationship of constant friction into one of mutual respect when they met again years later in Rome.
Mkhitaryan joined United in 2016 coming from Borussia Dortmund, amid great expectations and with the endorsement of Mourinho himselfwho had insisted on his signing. However, the link between the two deteriorated rapidly. “I told him that he had been criticizing me since I arrived. Then he responded that I was shit. And I told him that he was a piece of shit, a huge“, the player recounted in his book, remembering one of the toughest discussions he had with the coach at Old Trafford.
That period in England was turbulent: Between injuries, criticism and a complicated adaptation, Mkhitaryan ended up leaving the club for Arsenalwith the feeling of having been marked by his time under Mourinho's direction. However, football brought them together again five years later, when the Portuguese took charge of Roma in 2021.
Far from reviving old grudges, both chose to start over. “The first day we hugged“, said the midfielder. “There was sincere respect. The past is behind us.” That reconciliation was the starting point of a new stage, in which Mkhitaryan became a key part of the team that won the Conference Leaguethe first European title in the history of the Roman club.
The Armenian also revealed details about Mourinho's peculiar strategies to motivate his players before that final in Tirana. “At the Trigoria training center there were photos of the trophy everywhere, with the phrase ‘WE MUST WIN’ in capital letters,” he said. “In the locker room, the hallways, the bedrooms, the kitchen, even in the bathroom. We thought about victory when we dressed, when we ate, when we slept… even when we urinated. It was impossible not to see the title.”
That obsession with winning, which Mkhitaryan describes as a lesson in mentality, continues to accompany him today at Inter. At 36 years old, the midfielder has become an experienced voice in the locker room Nerazzurriin a season in which Cristian Chivu's team seeks to get back on track after an irregular start in Serie A.
From confrontation to understanding, the story between Mkhitaryan and Mourinho is that of two strong personalities who clashed over their ambition, but who also found a point of connection in that same demand. As the player himself wrote: “Sometimes, to respect someone, you first have to survive them.”
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