“I will never forget the 2010 Champions League semifinal against Barcelona. On the bus to Camp Nou, Mourinho grabbed my arm and said: ‘Tonight’s match will end in our favor. Let’s qualify for the final, guys,’ he said with confidence.
I asked him, ‘How can you be so sure?’
His reply was: ‘We are hungrier than they are!’
That fired us up. Mourinho had this extraordinary ability to motivate us, to make us believe. He was a genius.
When we went out to warm up, he gathered us and said: ‘Listen, guys. Our dream is here. Let’s go for it. I’ll walk out first, and you all follow me. The Barcelona fans will hate me. They will shout, curse, and insult me. After that, it’s your turn.’
Throughout the match, every time I was close to Eto’o, I told him, ‘Forza Samuel, you just need a bit of luck to score.’
And he would reply: ‘Captain, it won’t take long now.’
Finally, when the final whistle blew and we had won, Mourinho raised his hand toward the Barcelona fans and jumped like a child, saying: ‘We beat you!’ We were all with him.
Mourinho’s provocations were part of his strategy. The stadium staff even turned on the sprinklers to stop us from celebrating on the pitch.
If Mourinho had asked us to jump into the fire, we would have done it. Under his leadership, we were never afraid of anyone.”
