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Iconic phrases used by Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson added to the dictionary

Home> Football

Updated 12:36 29 May 2024 GMT+1Published 21:13 6 Oct 2022 GMT+1

Iconic phrases used by Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson added to the dictionary

Famous phrases from the two legendary managers have been added to the Oxford English Dictionary.

George Priestman

George Priestman

Iconic phrases used by Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson have been added to the Oxford English Dictionary.

Both men have achieved incredible success in football and their huge impact on the game has now been recognised in an unusual way.

A collection of 15 football terms, including 'Panenka', 'Rabona' and the 'Cruyff turn', have been inducted into the dictionary, along with famous terms used by Mourinho and Ferguson.

Roma boss Mourinho, who has also had spells in charge of Chelsea, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Manchester United during his managerial career, has made his way into the dictionary courtesy of a slightly ironic phrase he once used - 'Park the bus'.

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Sir Alex Ferguson and Wayne Rooney. (Image: Alamy)
Sir Alex Ferguson and Wayne Rooney. (Image: Alamy)

Mourinho first used the term to describe Tottenham's tactics in a game in 2004, but football fans know that throughout his career 'The Special One' has been guilty of doing that himself on more than one occasion.

The phrase is defined as: "To play in a very defensive way, typically by having the majority of outfield players close to their own goal and showing little attacking intent."

Sir Alex has entered the dictionary for the phrase, 'Squeaky Bum Time', which he used to describe his team challenging for the title in the closing stages of the Premier League season.

It is defined in the dictionary as: 'A particularly tense period of time, esp. one leading up to the climax of a competition or event.'

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Other words indicted into the dictionary include 'Cruyff turn', made famous by legendary Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff, and 'Panenka' - named after Antonin Panenka, who scored a penalty of this type in the 1976 European Championships final.

Additional phrases include 'Row Z', 'Outfield', 'Over the top', 'Tiki-taka', 'top scoring', 'trequartista', 'zonal marking' and 'total football' - another phrase also created (un-officially) by Cruyff as a player and manager.

Featured Image Credit: Alamy

Topics: Johan Cruyff, Jose Mourinho, Sir Alex Ferguson, Football

George Priestman
George Priestman

Huge Football, Boxing and Film fan. Also, a Chelsea fan living in the North West. Looking to break into the world of sports media by any means necessary!

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@gpriestman1998

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