Jose Mourinho has won league titles in four different countries and has won the Champions League with two different clubs. In order to consistently build such successful teams, he has had to stay one step ahead in the transfer market.
Here we look at the top five signings of Mourinho’s career so far:
5 – Mesut Özil
When Mourinho became manager of Real Madrid, he was faced with the daunting task of overhauling Barcelona who were considered by many to be the best football team ever assembled. He made some big signings including Angel Di Maria and Sami Khedira but at €15m, Mesut Özil was the pick of them.
The young German had impressed at the 2010 World Cup and became a key member of Mourinho’s new look Real Madrid team. He scored 10 goals in 53 games as they won the Copa del Rey and gained 92 points in the league. However, such was Barcelona’s dominance that this was still not enough for Madrid to top the table and they finished second.
The following year, Madrid improved again. Özil remained a crucial member of the team. He scored four goals and got 17 assists as Madrid stormed to the top of the table with a staggering 100 points. The feat of finishing above Barcelona should not be underestimated. Of course, Cristiano Ronaldo was the star of the team but he was already at the club when Mourinho joined.
Özil proved to be a vital piece in Mourinho’s jigsaw as they powered past Barcelona.