Arsene Wenger once called Jose Mourinho a specialist in failure.
A year after that, in 2014 when Arsenal met Chelsea at Stamford, the legendary manager went a step further: he pushed his counterpart.
Mourinho, it seems, has forgiven Wenger. The Portugese, who has coached high profile teams like Inter Milan, Real Madrid and most recently Manchester United, paid a glowing tribute to his former rival on video during the Laureus World Sports Awards here.
Wenger, who won the Lifetime Achievement Award, later admitted he was surprised by what his formal rival said. “Wenger is one of the best managers in the history of football,” Mourinho had said. “There were some episodes along the road, but the real respect is always there.”
Few managers in the history of the game have received as much respect or love as Wenger. He transformed Arsenal into a marvellously attacking side from one that had been criticised for being too boring. In 1998, within two years of his arrival, he made the club Premier League champion.
His influence went beyond Arsenal — which he coached for 22 years — and is credited for bringing positive changes in English football. The lifetime achievement award couldn’t have gone to a more deserving man. But, he wasn’t expecting it. “The award is even more surprising than the one by Mourinho,” he said.
“The lifetime achievement awards are usually for Pelé, Maradona and Beckenbauer, but tonight it is for a little player from a village. But I represent all coaches. It's good that coaches are rewarded in our game.”
It is good, too, that he received it here in Monaco. AS Monaco was one of the first teams he coached.
Looking back at his decision to move to England, he said he wanted to do certain things. “The first was to show people that we can win,” he said. “And I think I opened the door a little bit for all the managers from foreign countries, because there used to be a belief that a foreign manager cannot be successful in England.”
Wenger said it was important for a young player to have a proper mentor or a coach. “I believe successful lives are always a meeting between people who have an attitude, a desire, and somebody who believes in them and gives them a chance, in any job,” he said. “Alone, you are nothing. In the case of football, the position on the field is always to be adjusted to the psychological profile of the player. So, sometimes just changing the position makes a difference.”
(The writer is in Monte Carlo at the invitation of Laureus)
