'Never Got Lionel Messi, Daniele De Rossi, Francesco Totti': Jose Mourinho Opens Up on Players He Wanted To Train

Jose Mourinho has revealed the name of a player that he wanted to train but never got the opportunity during his illustrious coaching career spanning over two decades. The Portuguese football manager has managed several major clubs across Europe including the likes of Manchester United, Real Madrid, Chelsea and Inter Milan. He has had the privilege of working with a number of legendary footballers such as Frank Lampard, Samuel Eto and Cristiano Ronaldo.

There might have been a few European managers, who have a resume as decorated as Mourinho. The 60-year-old, however, never crossed paths with Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest player that football has ever witnessed. The Argentine superstar has spent the majority time of his club career in Barcelona where he came at the age of 13.

Messi switched to Paris Saint Germain in the summer of 2021 as the Spanish club failed to bear his hefty wage in line with La Liga’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules. Having lifted the much-awaited FIFA World Cup in December 2022, Messi now represents David Beckham-owned Inter Miami in the Major League Soccer (MLS).

During a recent interaction with influencer Ohm, Mourinho was asked about a player that he regretted not being able to train in his career. He was quick to refer to the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, saying, “I never got to train Lionel Messi, but then nobody can train Messi.”

Mourinho further spoke about Messi’s unparalleled talent and skills as he said, “It is absurd to think you could coach him because he was born with everything and already knows everything. He might teach you some things. All you could say is that you had the honour of having him in your squad.”

Mourinho went on to recall his managerial stints with Inter Milan and Real Madrid, saying, “I would’ve liked to have Daniele De Rossi at Inter and Real Madrid, but it was not possible. I also wanted Francesco Totti at Inter, despite his age at the time, but it was not possible either.”

Mourinho remains out of a job after being sacked by AS Roma last month following a humiliating 3-1 loss to AC Milan that left the team reeling at the ninth place in the Serie A standings.