The Playbook (2020): Season 1, Episode 3 - José Mourinho: A Coach's Rules for Life - full transcript

[José Mourinho] I'm here.

[man] Perfect.

[José] That's my seat?

[man] That is your seat.

[man] If you closed your eyes and think,
what are your earliest childhood memories?

- Don't want to speak.
- [man] No?

Were there any sort of early experiences
that helped shape your philosophy?

[blows raspberry]
Don't want to go there.

[man] Okay. I'm trying to get at,
where did you learn things

that became valuable to you
later in life?

Me?



What was it about you?

I don't have to speak about other people
when I was the fundamental thing on it.

So, why should I speak about other people?

[man] Okay. Why not?

[José] I don't know.

Please don't call me arrogant,
because what I'm saying is true.

I'm European champion.
So, I'm not one of...

of the bottle. I'm a...
I think I'm a special one.

[intense instrumental music plays]

[commentator 1]
The one and only José Mourinho.

A man whose name
has become synonymous with winning.

You don't win big things with nice guys.

[commentator 2] José has won 20 titles
in ten years, across four countries.

If football was Hollywood,



then José Mourinho
would be George Clooney.

Please write what I say,
not what you want me to say.

If you're not a journalist or a referee,

José can be a nice guy.

You are asking about the game. Do you
think the game was like you are saying?

[reporter] No, I didn't say what I think.
I'm asking you what you think. I'm sorry...

[José] I don't like to go to the press.
I don't like press conferences.

It's part of my job.

Click Google
instead of making stupid questions.

You say the same thing twice
in ten minutes. You think I'm deaf?

I'm going to meet you every time
after the game?

- [reporter 2] Is that okay?
- Fuck's sake!

Maybe it's better
to be politically correct.

Maybe it's better to tell what people...
expect you to tell.

Why are you so pessimistic in life?
It's more difficult to succeed.

Maybe it's better to be,
like we say in Portugal,

like these guys that...

they dive into the pool,

they leave the pool,

and they are still dry.

Never wet.

But that's not me at all.

Nobody asked me my team.

Do you want to know my team tomorrow?

Even before I dive, I'm wet already.

So why don't you ask me?

- [reporter] What's your team tomorrow?
- Too late. I'm sorry.

[laughs]

[crowd laughing]

[chuckles]

[crowd cheering]

I have always felt
that football is a religion.

It's not a sport.

There is no place in the world where...

people is not in love with football.

Since I was a kid,
I dreamed about football.

And I fell asleep thinking about football.

I'm from Setúbal, Portugal,

a small, beautiful city on the sea.

My father was a football player
when I was born.

And then, later became a football coach.

I wanted to be a football player.

I tried, but...

I was not good enough.

I was not good enough.

I didn't have the talent.

But I felt since very, very early

that I had...

a special talent to be a football...
a football coach.

[gentle acoustic music playing]

[static, radio tuning]

[woman in Portuguese]
Beautiful day in sunny Porto.

From the football pitch,

FC Porto manager Octavio Machado
has been sacked after just 36 matches.

Machado will be replaced
by former Porto assistant coach,

José Mourinho.

[in English] I arrived in Porto
in a difficult moment for the club.

[woman in Portuguese] Porto is eliminated
from Taça de Portugal 2-1,

Porto's worst result in 20 years.

[in English] The feeling was,
the team could only get worse.

[exclaiming]

[José] At that moment, the fans was...

[clicks tongue] going away.

[woman in Portuguese] No passion!
There's no passion from these guys at all!

[in English]
We need to bring them back and make it

something that people identify with.

You are born loving a club,
you are going to die loving the same club.

You don't change your club.

Sometimes you are not
in love with your team.

The north of Portugal, where Porto is,

is an area of hardworking people.

It's an area where people
feel a big connection with the club,

if the club represents the values...
of that people.

[all chanting] Porto!

[José] People there,
they demand that spirit,

they demand that sacrifice.
Like, in Portugal, we used to say,

"You sweat the shirt."

The game finishes and your shirt is...

[imitates wringing]

...full of sweat. You give everything.

The first thing that the club
had to recover

was these principles that make people

become again in love with your team.

[commentator 3] New coach, José Mourinho,
is taking an unorthodox approach

to player recruitment.

One of the criteria was
the psychological profile of, uh,

of the player.

[commentator 3]
Instead of spending money on superstars,

Mourinho has been scouring
lower-ranking leagues

for diamonds in the rough.

We wanted homegrown players,

players with a deep feeling for the club.

People that they could say,
"This is one of us."

And players with that sense
of competitiveness,

aggression,

sacrifice.

We had to make a special recruitment
from smaller clubs,

and that was very important.
That heart, nucleus of the team,

was people from them.

And we got players without titles,
without international experience.

We were not a team of movie stars.

The team was not selfish.

And I had, for example, one situation
where two possible captains for the team,

they want to give the captaincy
to each other.

These were two homegrown players,
two local boys.

Vítor Baía and Jorge Costa.

And both,
"I think you should be the captain."

"I think you should be the captain."

"I don't want to be the captain
because you are a better captain than me."

"No, I think you are better than me."

When I heard that, I was feeling,
"I don't need to be worried."

That connection is here.

They were ready to do anything.

So, the boys...

[pounds fist]

...they went to the limits.

[in Portuguese] We are the best.
We will be champions.

- [pounds table]
- [whistle blows]

[woman] It's been a year since Mourinho

took over as Porto's head coach,
and the team looks completely different.

[José in English] Step by step,
everything was an evolution.

In Porto, the fans,
they like to see them working hard.

And they thought we were a team
with that deep competition,

that wild desire of winning.

[crowd cheering]

[woman] Derlei's goal
has brought this crowd to life!

[José in English] And then I felt that
people were in love with the team again.

Porto!

[chanting loudly in Portuguese]

[woman]
Benni McCarthy with an unbelievable shot!

[José in English]
Our home became a fortress.

[woman in Portuguese]
The home field domination continues!

[in English] In two years, playing in
Portuguese league, Portuguese Cup,

UEFA Cup and Champions League,

we didn't lose one single match at home.

I think the reason why was exactly because
of the profile of the team.

[cheering]

[José] To bring that club in that country
to a different level

was a special moment.

[crowd cheering]

[In Portuguese]
Confetti flew, colored the stadium,

as FC Porto and their fans celebrated
winning the Portuguese League Cup.

[crowd cheering]

But Mourinho and his team
have a giant mountain to climb

as they set their sights on the upcoming
Champions League draw.

[women] Olé, olé, olé!

[José in English] In 2003,
Porto made it to Champions League.

We were one of the best teams in Portugal.

But we were not
one of the best teams in Europe.

And when you are not the best team,

and you don't have the best players,

your best strategy can be the ambition...

to win.

[commentator 4] Good afternoon,
ladies and gentlemen,

and welcome to UEFA's headquarters in Nyon

for the 2003-2004 draw ceremony...

[José] We were all watching
the draw for the Champions League.

The draw was live on TV,

and the team were together
watching the draw.

Manchester United was the best team.

[commentator 5] Manchester United are
in sight of the European Cup final again!

[José] And I thought,
if we get Manchester United in the draw,

my players,
they are going to be disappointed.

[official] And out of this four, we have...

Because Porto
was one of the easiest teams.

[laughing]

We played Porto before,
about seven or eight years ago.

We have happy memories of that
because we won.

So, I'm going to try to create
an atmosphere where...

everybody wants Manchester United.

I was telling non-stop
that I want Manchester United.

"I want Manchester United.

I hope Manchester United
is the one that we are going to get."

...Real Sociedad.

If they come, good.

I create already a state of mind
where we want them.

If they don't get, better,

because we will get an easier opponent!

This is... Chelsea.

Looking forward to a good draw. Arsenal.

Real Madrid.

FC Porto against...

Manchester United.

So, when Manchester United
comes in the draw,

the players' room, everybody jumps.

"Wow! Manchester United, here we go."

[commentator 6]
Welcome to the knockout round

of the 2003-2004 UEFA Champions League.

Two matches - one home, one away.

The team with the most goals scored
for the two matches moves on.

And because I made that decision,
we were tremendous.

The team was aggressive, the team...

The team really wanted
to beat the opponent.

[commentator 7] Benni McCarthy
puts it in the back of the net!

They've done it! Miracles do happen!

David beats Goliath! Porto over Man U!

But now, we need to go there

and we need to beat Manchester United...

at home.

[commentator 6] Porto has a one-goal lead
into the deciding match

of the knockout round.

They need just a tie to pull off
what would surely be

one of the most stunning upsets
in Champions League history.

[José] We go to Manchester
with this quiet psychological thing of,

never a Portuguese team
won a knockout tie

in English soil.

Of course, Manchester United,
super confident.

After 25 minutes of the game...

- [commentator 7] Towards the box... Goal!
- [José]...they score.

So, a tough time.

I thought a lot about...

do I risk too early?

No.

I'm going only to risk
when I feel it's the right moment.

We score a goal, we are in.

You need to find the right moment
to be aggressive.

[crowd roaring]

Sometimes, you feel
the big stadium is changing.

You feel the noise... is different.

If they need to score,
the stadium would be...

[cheering loudly]

...incredible noise, to push them.

When that result is good for them,

but they are a little bit scared...

[inhales sharply] Mmm.

And Manchester United was
in that period of the silence.

And that silence tells me that...

they are more defensive than offensive.

They are controlling timings.

This is the moment where the ball boys,
they go home.

And if the ball goes away,
nobody can collect the ball.

It's where the most experienced players,

they get the foul
and they take their time.

[commentator] Man U is playing keep-away,
seeing if they can run out the clock

on Porto's chance to even the score.

[José] I realize that
they are scared of mistakes,

so when this moment started was when
we start risking and pushing them.

[commentator 6]
Oh-ho! An aggressive play by Carvalho.

Porto is refusing to go quietly
into the night.

[José] And face that fear...

with incredible courage
and with incredible aggression.

So, we start going.
Attacking, attacking, attacking.

- [whistle blows]
- [José] Minute 90...

direct free kick.

- [commentator 8] Too close for comfort.
- [José] I knew that it was our chance.

[commentator 8] Inside the final minute,
it may all come down to this free kick.

[José] You have to believe
that you can beat the best team in Europe.

We need to face this moment of fear
with lots of courage.

You can run away, you can hide yourself,

or you can attack the guys.

[commentator 8] McCarthy.
Howard gets his hands on it,

but it's been turned in by Costinha!

[crowd cheering]

An astounding goal
has given Porto the aggregate lead again!

[José] We scored the winning goal,
and that was incredible.

[commentator 8] Porto pulls off a dramatic
comeback at the last minute.

[triumphant music playing]

[José] We were not the best team,
but we found a strategy...

and that opened the door for Porto
to go and win the Champions League.

After that night, I had two of the big
English clubs contacted me.

The majority of the players,
it was the same.

It was a new life for all of us.

[man] Would you love football as much
as you do if there was no winning?

No.

- [man] Why?
- I hate friendly matches.

I hate it.

I... I just hate it.

Football is... to compete.

[shutters clicking]

[man 2] I'm delighted this morning
to welcome José Mourinho

as the new manager and coach of Chelsea.

[commentator 9] With a smile,
a man from Porto

took over the hottest seat
in world football,

telling us he was made for the job.

So, I arrive here with my ego... big.

[laughter]

[reporter 4] Has it gone down, your ego?

No, it's even higher!

[laughter]

It's what happens out here

that'll decide whether he becomes
a Chelsea legend,

or follows the "Tinkerman"
to the Stamford Bridge exit.

Apologies, there's gonna be no players

or any member of the management team
from Chelsea talking after this game,

as we will be submitting
an official report to UEFA

about an incident
that occurred at halftime.

That's the end of the statement.

[commentator 10] Mourinho and Chelsea fans
everywhere are on pins and needles,

as they wait for disciplinary sanctions
from the football governing board, UEFA.

[commentator 11]
Sanctions stem from an incident

when Mourinho made disparaging remarks
about another head coach.

I was suspended for two matches.

He is not allowed in the dressing room,
tunnel, or...

I couldn't be on the bench,

and I couldn't be in the dressing room.

But it was a big game
against Bayern Munich

in the quarterfinals,

and I thought, this is the kind of game
where they really, really need me.

They need what I used to call
that skin-to-skin connection,

where you are there, where they feel you,
they listen to you,

where you can share emotions.

I'm not putting pressure on you about,
uh, "We have to win."

I don't want to put that kind of pressure,

but we cannot lose.

We cannot lose.

And I felt so frustrated.

I want to be with my players,
even against the rules.

But I don't want to be in trouble.

So, do I risk my career?

And after thinking about it,

I made the decision
of being in the dressing room.

If I go to the dressing room very early,

nobody can find me, you know?

After the game, empty stadium,
empty streets,

I will walk home, no problem at all.

So, I went to the dressing room
when nobody was in the stadium.

[commentator 12] Mourinho,
in his first season as Chelsea manager,

beating Barcelona
in the first knockout stage,

to set up a quarterfinal
against Bayern Munich.

[José] Before the game,
the first thing that I told them

was that I'm there for them.

"I'm here waiting for you
at the halftime.

I'm going to listen to the game
from the dressing room.

If the result at halftime
is not a good one,

then, yes, you are going to need me here.
I am going to be here."

And I... I felt...

I felt that was very important
for my boys.

[commentator 13] Mourinho missing
from the bench today,

due to the Anders Frisk incident
earlier this week.

But Mourinho's not banned
from the stadium,

so we'll see if our cameras
can find him somewhere.

But, of course, UEFA, intelligent people,

they know what I would do
in that kind of situation.

[commentator 13] I tell you,
we can't seem to find him anywhere, John.

[José] And they thought,
if you didn't see him in the stands,

if you didn't see him in any box,

if television cameras,
they could not find him,

he must be in the dressing room.

[commentator 13] Even without

their fearless leader on the touchline,
Chelsea's been dominating this match.

[José] So, they come
to the dressing room...

[commentator 13] ...to get away,
and they have it with Cole!

[José]...and the only possible thing was,
in the fraction of seconds,

was to dive into the laundry basket.

[commentator 13] Straight at goal.
Roberto forces the save. Schweinsteiger!

I was a little bit scared.

[commentator 13] To the center

and Drogba lashes it home!
Chelsea taking complete control

of this quarterfinal.

[José] And the basket had a metal box.

And the kit man was afraid
UEFA was going so deep

that they could even open the metal box.

He locked the metal box.

And he took me to the laundry.

It was a couple of minutes' distance,

but I felt that was...

three hours' distance.

Incredible, awful feeling,
to be closed in the metal basket.

[intense music crescendoes]

[commentator 14] Final score in this
quarter final, Chelsea 4, Bayern Munich 2.

[José] UEFA, they really tried,

but they could not find me.

We won the game,
but it's not about that.

What I did in that game,
in that dressing room,

was something that...

I'm not proud of it
because I went against the rules.

But I'm proud of it...

as a leader.

I'm proud of it as a players' friend.

I'm proud of it
because I did it for my boys.

For your family, you do anything.

Even break the rules.

I think I became
a little bit claustrophobic after that.

[laughs]

[radio host] 7:00 a.m.
and good morning to you.

This is Sunrise, Thursday,
the 20th of September.

The top story is "Goodbye, Mourinho."

Shock for Chelsea,
as the club and manager

agree to part ways by mutual consent.

Mourinho joined three years ago,

led them to the Premiership title
in his first two seasons.

His decision to leave comes just a day
after the club's disappointing performance

- in the Champions League.
- Chelsea fans will be stunned

and they will be very upset this morning.
He was very loved here at Chelsea.

♪ Come back, Mourinho
Come back, Mourinho ♪

♪ Come back, Mourinho ♪

[José] When I was a teen,
my father also a coach.

He did an amazing job
in one Portuguese club.

He took the club
to the Portuguese Cup final.

So, incredible achievement.

And, um...

he had a very important offer to leave.

But my father was a big heart.

And, um, he decided to stay.

A few months later, he was sacked.

[chuckles]

[reporter 5] Real Madrid Football Club
sacked coach Carlo Ancelotti,

after failing to win major silverware
this season.

[reporter 6] Manager Mancini
has been sacked by Manchester City.

First, your reaction on the sacking.

- It had to happen.
- [man] It shows you

how hard it is to find the right guy.

[José] In football,

the majority of the times that the coach
leaves the club

is because he was sacked.

That's the nature of football,

that's the cruelty of football.

[commentator 15]
Managers come and go faster than ever.

The average manager
hardly lasts a year now.

That's the world we live in, I'm afraid.

So, I think it's very important

to leave a club by your own option.

[shutters clicking]

[José] 2008, I was at Inter Milan.

[in Italian] I believe I'm working
for a very special club.

Um...

I haven't forgotten
that I am a great coach

but I don't want to be special.

I just want to be José Mourinho.

[commentator in Italian]
Inter takes off.

Zanetti moves fast, Zanetti.

- Ball to Milito! Milito! Milito! Milito!
- [cheering]

[José] In 2010, we won the league.

And in two years, I was so, so happy

in that club, with that group of players.

I felt that connection is here.

The brotherhood.

[newscaster] In news,

Inter Milan has dominated
the Italian league yet again.

With their winning record,
the team breezes into Champions League

as a frontrunner
to win the prestigious European Cup.

For 50 years,
Inter was chasing the Champions League.

I knew that, in that year,
I had to win for my boys.

But during the tournament,

I had a very important offer to leave.

It was Real Madrid.

To go to Madrid
and to face the biggest challenge

any coach or any team could have,

which was to try to beat Barcelona,

the best team of that moment,

to try to beat them
and win the Spanish league.

And I thought,
"I have to make a decision."

[commentator 16] Bayern Munich
versus Inter Milan

in the 2010 Champions League final.

People used to say

that the train doesn't stop twice.

So, I thought it may be the best thing

for my career to make that movement.

I am very emotional.

But I try to internalize this emotion
for the big decisions.

[commentator in Italian]
Ball to Inter. Milito.

Feint. Milito. Feint.

- Into the box… Goal, again!
- [crowd cheering]

"The Prince"!
Inter gets ahead in the game.

A storm is striking Bayern in Madrid.

[José in English] We won Champions League.

It was an incredible moment for all of us.

[team cheering]

But, for me,
since the beginning of my career,

I had a dream.

Which was to win the championship

in the three biggest leagues in Europe.

So, I did England...

and since I did Italy that night,

I knew that I have to try
to do it in Spain, too.

So, I decided I was going to Real Madrid
the next day.

For the new job.

In the end of the game...

I didn't want to go to the dressing room.

I didn't want to go to the bus.

And I didn't want to go
back with them to Milan.

Because if I did,

I think I wouldn't want to go
to Real Madrid.

So, I just tried to run away.

But I saw one of the players
outside the bus.

I had to stop.

And no words. I don't remember one...

One single word.

[man] You've coached some of
the biggest stars in the world.

- Yes.
- [man] The biggest in the world.

Ronaldo, Ibrahimović, Drogba.

People that,
because of their pure athleticism,

they feel like they can
do it their way all the time.

If you are not able to coach
the big players,

you are not able to coach anyone.

It's very important for a coach
to understand,

you are not going to teach them
how to play football.

You are not going to teach Ronaldo
how to take a free kick.

You are not going to teach Ibra
how to hold a ball on his chest.

You are not going to teach Drogba

how to attack the first post
and score in the air.

You are going to teach them

how to play football in that team.

When I was at Real Madrid...

we had a very good team.

We had one of the best players
in football, Ronaldo.

Ronaldo used to play as a winger.

[commentator]
Ronaldo sprints, 2 on 1.

[José in English] He was a tricky winger,
fast dribble.

But sometimes, you have

to move the pieces of the chess,

to try to create
the best solution for the team.

[commentator 2]
Mourinho talking to Adebayor.

He is making changes at Real Madrid.

[José in English] The first time that
Ronaldo played as a number nine position,

was in the cup final against Barcelona.

[commentator 2 in Spanish]
Look at positions for Real Madrid.

It looks like Cristiano
will now be attacking.

We had three number nines.

And for the final,
I left them, all three, out.

To play Cristiano as a number nine.

Because in that game,

Barcelona right back was Daniel Alves,

that was attacking,
attacking, attacking...

Hundreds and hundreds of times
during the game.

[commentator 3 in Spanish]
Alves passes it inside!

Another shot for Alves!

Alves passes it to Messi!

[José] If Ronaldo played against him,
he would be chasing him all the time.

Playing more defensive than offensive.

So, I decided,
"No, you are not going to chase anyone.

You are going to play number nine,
you are to play central.

You are going just to try

to score goals."

[commentator 3 in Spanish]
Cristiano has a chance!

Cristiano shoots!

Cristiano being chased, he shoots!

What an opportunity for Real Madrid!

The players have to understand the game,

because during the game,
I cannot make decisions for them.

They are guided, they discover the way.

It's not like I tell them,

"Now you turn left,
and then you turn right."

I'm not Waze.

I have to help them,
but they have to go by themselves,

they have to understand why.

[commentator 3 in Spanish]
Di María crosses it to Cristiano!

Goal!

Cristiano!

He scored the winning goal.
Incredible header.

And...

we won the cup.

[commentator]
Real Madrid, Copa del Rey champion!

They beat Barcelona

to win a title
they haven't won in 18 years!

[in English] They are special talents.

Without the team...

they cannot express everything they have.

Everything is about the team.
I always used to say that...

I don't coach football players.

I coach football teams.

[commentator] Tottenham Hotspur
have appointed Mourinho

as their new manager.

[commentator 18]
Never before have Spurs hired a manager

as demanding or as confrontational
as José Mourinho.

[commentator 19] He's a winner.
What Spurs are desperate for.

You know wherever he's been, he's won.

In my career, I learned that...
football is a bit of everything.

Football is an art.

But football is also heart.

Football is about winning.

[players yelling] Goal!

And I made mistakes. I made mistakes.

Of course.

Maybe some guys
don't agree with my opinion.

But it's not about that.

For me, the concept of a team is...

is one of the most beautiful things.

I have teams that are teams
from 25 years ago,

20 years ago, ten years ago.

We are still a team. We are still a team.

If any one of us needs the other...

[snaps]

...click.

And everybody's coming...
is coming for you.

And, in the end,

the trophies that we won
in different teams,

in different generations,
with different groups,

of course, that is what stays
for the history of football.

But, I think,
in all my experiences in football,

there is the human side of it.

Team, brother...

family. And for me,

these are the things that...
they stay forever.

[instrumental music playing]