Mourinho: Wenger is one of the best managers in the history of football
Jose Mourinho appears to have spectacularly buried the hatchet with Arsene Wenger after lauding his one-time rival as ‘one of the best football managers in history.’
Mourinho once called the former Arsenal boss a ‘specialist in failure’ and a ‘voyeur’ but now insists there was ‘real respect’ between the two of them.
Wenger was receiving the Lifetime Achievement accolade at the Laureus World Sports Awards and Mourinho surprisingly added his voice to the video tributes.
The pair regularly clashed during their time in the Premier League and the sniping between them got particularly pointed on occasions.
But Mourinho has redressed their relationship. He said: ‘There were some episodes along the road. I can only speak by myself. I really enjoyed the competition. But the real respect was always there.
‘He made lots of history in that football club. The nickname is there – the Invincibles. Amazing. A coaching philosophy, the almost perfect team. He is one of the best football managers in the history of football.’
Both Mourinho and Wenger are currently without a club, with the former having been sacked by Manchester United in December while Wenger left Arsenal last year after over two decades in charge.
During his time at Arsenal, Wenger won three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups but also oversaw a period of nine years without a trophy.
