Jose Mourinho has revealed the one decision he made during his managerial career that he would never do again.
The 61-year-old is back in the managerial hot seat after being confirmed as the new boss of Turkish side Fenerbahce.
Mourinho has been out of work since being sacked by Serie A side AS Roma back in January. The former Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur boss will now look to add to his trophy cabinet at his new club - which already includes the Champions League, Europa League, Premier League, FA Cup and many, many more.
Heading into the role in Turkey, Mourinho brings a wealth of experience with him. However, it hasn't always been this way, with the tactician revealing one of the biggest errors he made earlier in his career - which also came as a sly dig to a former Spurs boss!
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Speaking on TNT Sports as a pundit for the Champions League final, Mourinho was questioned about Thibaut Courtois coming into the starting line-up for Real Madrid against Borussia Dortmund, despite missing most of the season through injury.
“The best. As a coach, in these moments you have to forget the emotion. You have to go with what it is. It’s the best," he said when asked about Carlo Ancelotti's decision to replace Andriy Lunin, who had previously started eight games in the competition this season.
Mourinho was then asked if he ever faced a similar situation throughout his managerial career, where he added: “I always go to the best.
“I did once, not for the best. It was the Portuguese Cup final. I went with the goalkeeper that played the competition and I didn’t play Vitor Baia. I lost the final.”
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The fixture was the Taca de Portugal, which saw his Porto side lose 2-1 to Benfica in extra-time.
It was a defeat that denied Mourinho a historic quadruple winning campaign, after already winning the Primeira Liga, the Portuguese Super Cup and Champions League.
Baia was the first choice goalkeeper for Porto during this season, after making 46 appearances across all competitions. However, he was rotated with former Wolverhampton Wanderers and Spurs boss Nuno Espírito Santo for the Taca de Portugal. The current Nottingham Forest manager was 30 years of age at the time.
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“I’m not saying he was a bad player,” he added. “I’m saying he is a much better coach than a player. I think he’ll be happy because he sees what he is now. And that’s the career he has now, he is not a player anymore."
Topics: Jose Mourinho, Fenerbahce, Champions League, Nuno Espirito Santo, Nottingham Forest