2 years ago
In a game, Jose Mourinho chose to replace his goalie before Zlatan Ibrahimovic because he felt the attacker was not giving it his all.
The two entertained Siena the day after being crowned Serie A winners while they were both with Inter Milan in 2009.
Throughout the game, Ibrahimovic requested to be taken off, but Mourinho wasn't sure the Swedish player was ready for a fight.
He cut a disappointed figure as he watched Mario Balotelli and Luis Figo leave for Davide Santon and Mancini, respectively.
Ibrahimovic scored and once more cast a quick glance toward the bench after deciding it might as well be his shot.
He turned to see Julio Cesar replaced by Paolo Orlandoni, the backup goalie, forcing him to play the whole 90 minutes.
Though Ibrahimovic won the Golden Boot by a solitary goal at the end of May, Mourinho's intuition paid off.
When the Portuguese coach spoke about the incident in 2014, he said that Ibrahimovic was left on because his teammates were failing to assist him in scoring.
He explained as follows to Sky Sports: "He was quite irate and enraged as he came at me. We are champions, I contributed a lot to make you champions, but now no one is assisting me, he yelled. I'm ready to leave right now.
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"But I pretended I didn't comprehend him. What? I exclaimed. What? Do you want a beverage or some water? then I hurled a bottle at him. I said, "Here, have a glass, and then leave." He then scored a fantastic goal a little while after."
Seven years later, the two would collaborate once more at Manchester United, and Mourinho acknowledges that he has a particular connection with the 40-year-old.
He stated: "I will never forget a player that gave me as much as Ibra did. He gave Inter a lot, and Inter returned the favor. It's nice to see Ibra.
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"Every time I get the chance, I say hello to him and wish him the best, with the exception of when he competes against me. One of the top strikers in the world, he is quite unique."
Ibrahimovic, who won Serie A last season, is presently playing for Inter's fiercest rivals AC Milan in his second tenure.
Mourinho, who is currently back in Italy with Roma, led them to victory in the Europa Conference League in May.
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