Jose Mourinho considers Liverpool FC legend Steven Gerrard as one of his favourite enemies in the world of football.
Steven Gerrard will play only three more matches for Liverpool after which he is set to join MLS side LA Galaxy. On Sunday, Liverpool will visit London to take on the Champions Chelsea FC for an important Premier League tie.
Before the high voltage game, the Chelsea boss lauded the midfield marshal saying, “If they want to do that (form a guard of honour), obviously my players are going to accept that with respect.
“It is with opponents like him that I am the manager that I am, because I learn with my players and I learn with my best opponents.
“I learn with my players’ problems, my players’ doubts, my players’ qualities and I learn with my best opponent, with the problems they give me – the way they make me think, the way they make me analyse them and studying the best way to play against them.
“Steven Gerrard is for sure one of my favourite enemies – an enemy with all the good feeling I can express with that word in football.
“For sure, in England he is my dear enemy. For sure, he is the one that made me a better manager. To stop him or try and stop him has been very, very difficult.”
Many people know that Jose Mourinho had almost signed Steven Gerrard to Chelsea in 2005. But Mourinho further said that he wanted the English player at Inter Milan and Real Madrid too. “I tried to bring him to Chelsea, I tried to bring him to Inter (Milan), I tried to bring him to Real Madrid but he was always a dear enemy,” Mourinho added.
“I want to honour him and I hope Stamford Bridge has the same feeling as I have, which is we need people like him as our opponents.”