'Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho are both top coaches – but I know who I prefer'

Samuel Eto’o picked Jose Mourinho over Pep Guardiola as the manager whose style he most enjoyed playing under. Eto’o played for some of the best managers in the world in his illustrious career, including Mourinho at Inter Milan and Guardiola at Barcelona.

The Cameroon legend also lifted continental trebles with both clubs in consecutive seasons, with Barca in the 2008/09 and Inter in 2009/10. Despite having played under two giants of football, the now-43-year-old has dubbed Mourinho as the manager as the one he enjoyed playing under the most, recalling his famous moniker – “the special one”.

Speaking to SportsBible earlier this year, Eto’o said: “I don’t think you can say one or the other is better. It’s a question of style, they each have their own style, I prefer Jose Mourinho. I am more friends with Jose Mourinho’s style but Pep is a top top coach, so I don’t think you can make a decision.”

He added: “But I can tell you this there is no other coach, no other manager, who will get to motivate his players as much Jose Mourinho does. Now there are more coaches, more managers, each with their own style but in terms of motivating and getting the most out of their players that is Jose Mourinho. For me the treble with Jose is the special one.”

Eto’o left Barcelona for Inter Milan in 2009 after clinching an impressive treble alongside LaLiga legends such as Yaya Toure, Sergio Busquets, and Lionel Messi. He then made history by securing consecutive trebles with two different clubs, achieving this remarkable feat with Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan during the 2009/10 campaign.

Inter Milan won the Coppa Italia, the Serie A title, and their first Champions League trophy in 45 years – a triumph partly credited to Eto’o’s assist for one of Diego Milito’s goals in the decisive 2-0 victory against Bayern Munich.

Yet, shortly after this monumental success, Mourinho departed to take the helm at Real Madrid, leaving behind a powerful Inter squad that he had led to glory.

Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Mourinho said: “I wanted to go to Real. They had tried to get me the year before and when I was at Chelsea – you can’t say no three times to Real Madrid. I wanted to be the first to win league titles in England, Italy and Spain.”

Mourinho and Guardiola clashed in LaLiga for two intense seasons, each securing a league title as they presided over one of the fiercest rivalries in global football. Eto’o would later reunite with Mourinho at Chelsea a few years later, penning a one-year contract at Stamford Bridge and making 35 appearances for the club, scoring 12 goals.