Mourinho eyes special history

Posted Thursday, October 13, 2011 by ESPN

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho is confident he can win a third UEFA Champions League title with his third team - Real Madrid.

The Portuguese tactician shot to the attention of world football when he won the trophy with unfancied Porto back in 2004.

He won the trophy again in 2010 while he was manager of Italian outfit Inter Milan. Mourinho was appointed as coach of Real Madrid in May that year and he believes he is not so far away from lifting a third European Cup title in his latest post at Madrid.

"I'd like to win my third Champions League title with my third team. It would allow my name to have a special place in football history. I'll make it," Mourinho told Turkish newspaper Hurriyet.

"My players regard themselves as football icons and they look at me and see a football icon. They see me as they are. It isn't easy to handle a dressing room like that if you yourself aren't a football icon. Our status on the team is the same."

"I'm not worried about the nationality of my players. It isn't a factor when I choose them. I like Turkish players. I have some, such as Ozil and Sahin.

"They are the synthesis of Turkish and German players. They have German discipline despite being Turkish. They have respect for their job. They are also creative and passionate. Mediterranean people, such as Turks, are that way."

Mourinho, who was labeled as the "best coach" in the world by former Porto player Benni McCarthy earlier in the month, said that success in football was in his destiny.

"It's always been in my life. My dad was on the pitch when I was born and so was I when my daughter was born. Football is that important to me," Mourinho said.

"No rule says you're good in every aspect of life. I was a good player when I was 14 or 15 years old, but I had two choices once I went to university: I could be an average footballer or an extraordinary coach. I chose the second option."