Please respect my history and respect my boys – Jose Mourinho says his alleged all-time XI including Cristiano … – Sportskeeda

Jose Mourinho has claimed that his alleged all-time XI, which included Cristiano Ronaldo in the side, is fake news. The Portuguese manager has insisted that he never named an all-time XI and urged the media to respect him and his players.

Mourinho is one of the greatest managers of all time and boasts an illustrious career across Europe. Known as the 'Special One', he had two stints with Chelsea and also managed the likes of Porto, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur.

Mourinho also managed some of the greatest footballers over the last two decades. This list includes the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Frank Lampard, Eden Hazard, Harry Kane, and Karim Benzema, among others.

A picture depicting Mourinho's all-time XI has been circulating on the internet since Tuesday (12 December), but the manager has now dismissed it. The all-time XI included as many as eight former Chelsea players with the other three being Cristiano Ronaldo, Javier Zanetti, and Mesut Ozil.

Mourinho took to Instagram to rubbish it as fake news and demanded respect for himself as his players. He insisted that he would never make an all-time XI because every player gave his best for him. He said, as quoted by talkSPORT:

Mourinho has been in charge at AS Roma since 2021 and is doing a commendable job at the Stadio Olimpico. The 2021-22 UEFA Europa Conference League winners currently sit fifth in the league table, just two points away from the top four with a game in hand.

Jose Mourinho picked Cristiano Ronaldo over Lionel Messi when he was asked to pick between the two greats of the modern era more than a decade ago.

Mourinho claimed that Messi was used to playing with top players in a certain system whereas Ronaldo, who he managed at Real Madrid, had to adapt to different systems. He told Lisbon-based newspaper A Bola (h/t Independent) in 2012:

Mourinho continued:

However, when Mourinho was the manager of Tottenham Hotspur, he was asked by SPORTbible to select the three greatest footballers, and named Lionel Messi, Pele, and Diego Maradona.

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Please respect my history and respect my boys - Jose Mourinho says his alleged all-time XI including Cristiano ... - Sportskeeda