Football manager José Mourinho has stirred conversation online after boldly declaring on his social media platforms that African strikers have been the backbone of his greatest career achievements — and their absence at Manchester United was a key reason for his underwhelming tenure at the club.
In a reflective post shared via his official social media handles, Mourinho opened up about the pattern he believes has shaped his most successful years in coaching: the presence of a dominant African forward.
“My success is always based on having an African striker. Without one, I feel like I won’t succeed,” Mourinho stated.
He went on to highlight his journey with African stars, starting with Benni McCarthy at FC Porto. According to Mourinho, McCarthy’s more than 20 league goals in the 2003-04 season were instrumental in Porto’s domestic league triumph and historic UEFA Champions League victory.
“In that same season, he scored very important goals for me in the Champions League. That helped our careers take off in Europe,” he added.
At Chelsea, Mourinho built a fearsome attack around Ivorian striker Didier Drogba, whom he described as “a great African weapon.” He admitted wanting to reunite with McCarthy at Chelsea to partner with Drogba, but was denied by Blackburn Rovers.
During his stint at Inter Milan, Mourinho revealed that his hunger for another Champions League trophy led him to sign Cameroonian legend Samuel Eto’o from Barcelona — a move he now considers “the best signing of my career.”
But when speaking about his time at Real Madrid and Manchester United, Mourinho noted a stark difference:
“At Real Madrid, I had all talents but no African striker. I tried with Emmanuel Adebayor, but he was only on loan. Madrid does not like to use loaned players.”
Mourinho did not hold back when referring to his Manchester United spell, stating:
“They don’t believe much in African strikers, no wonder I didn’t enjoy much success there.”
He concluded by stressing that even Brazilian forwards often hailed in world football “are of African origin,” and advised upcoming coaches to always build around a strong African attacker.
“Some strikers win you league titles, but African strikers win you Champions League titles,” Mourinho said.
This remark made by Mourinho keeps sparking debates across the football world about race, talent, and the dynamics of team building at the highest level of the sport.