SUMMARY
- Mourinho's famed line, "I'm Jose Mourinho," turned it into a widely-shared internet meme.
- Other memorable lines, like 'I turn good players into great players and great teams into champions,'also added to Mourinho's meme-worthy legacy.
Not only a mastermind when it comes to soccer, Jose Mourinho has also been an interesting figure in press conferences over the years.
Mourinho first came to the limelight when he won the UEFA Champions League with Porto back in 2004. And his tactical awareness soon caught the attention of top European clubs. He later went on to manage clubs like Manchester United, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Inter Milan, and AS Roma throughout his career.
And in so many years of managing these top-flight clubs, the Portuguese manager had some unforgettable moments in front of the camera. One of those is his famous ‘I am Jose Mourinho’ speech, which later turned out to be meme material across the internet. From celebrities to normal soccer fans, everyone used this meme not only in the context of sports but also in different aspects of life.
The origin of this iconic sentence takes us back to April 2022. An advertisement campaign was run by the Topps Group in 2022, in partnership with UEFA.
In the advertisement, Mourinho regarded himself as a tactical genius and stated he would have no problem coaching the teams that are featuring in the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament. The ad started with Mourinho saying, “I’m Jose Mourinho.” Soon, the sentence became popular in the meme world. Fans across the internet started using the sentence in the context of various events.
Popular Jose Mourinho quotes
Other than ‘I’m Jose Mourinho,’ several other famous lines by the former Manchester United manager are part of the meme world.
One such is his famous saying, ‘I turn good players into great players and great teams into champions.’ The line was used by the Portuguese manager in the same advertisement campaign launched by the Topps Group, where he also used the iconic ‘I’m Jose Mourinho’ line.
Another iconic line, quoted by Mourinho, is ‘If I speak, I’m in big trouble.’ This iconic quote has been ruling the meme world ever since. Mainly used in the context of the game of soccer, fans generally use it on social media platforms.
Why did Jose Mourinho say, ‘If I speak, I’m in big trouble?
In 2014, during Jose Mourinho’s tenure as Chelsea manager, a Premier League encounter against Aston Villa saw a Chelsea player receive a red card for an alleged foul.
“I prefer not to speak. If I speak I’m in big trouble.” – Jose Mourinho
— Dr Dípò Awójídé (@OgbeniDipo) February 22, 2020
Mourinho seemed to be unhappy with the decision and approached the referee for a brief explanation after the final whistle. However, things turned sour as Mourinho was asked to leave the field by the official. The result of the game didn’t go in favor of the Portuguese manager, as Chelsea lost 1-0. Mourinho left frustrated in the post-match press conference, went on to answer a question by saying, “If I speak, I’m in big trouble.”
The statement became famous from then on and caught the attention of fans on social media. It is believed that the statement from Mourinho came from a fear of facing fines or suspension from the Football Association (FA) for controversial remarks.