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Jose Mourinho, the coach of Roma, has at last spoken out about his admiration for African strikers.
The 'Special One' revealed that the African strikers he has collaborated with are the reason for his success.
“My success is always based on having an African striker. Without an African striker, I feel like I won't succeed, " the Portuguese said as reported by the New Telegraph.
"My belief about African strikers started with Benni Mccarthy at FC Porto whereby he scored more than 20 league goals to help me and the club to win the Portuguese League title. In that same season, he scored very important goals for me in the Uefa Champions League that helped our careers to be well known in Europe by winning my first Champions League as a Coach."
Mourinho was hired by Chelsea in 2004 as a result of the European victory. With the Blues, he went on to win two straight Premier League titles, making the Stamford Bridge team a formidable force in the football world.
"From Portugal to Chelsea in England, I find Didier Drogba. He was a great African weapon to win with me an English Premiership. I wanted Benni McCarthy to join me to partner with Didier Drogba up front but at that time he was at Blackburn Rovers and was the only hitman there. So they refused to give us McCarthy no matter the offer I put on the Table."
Mourinho, who is perhaps the best manager in Chelsea history, bitterly parted ways with Chelsea to take a job at Inter Milan, where he was also successful.
"I wanted to win the Champions League with Inter Milan but I only had two Ghanaian midfielders and that was not enough for me to win the Champions League as I was dominating the league only," the experienced tactician said.
"I sat down and thought hard about having an African striker again. I approached FC Barcelona and they willingly sold to me the best signing of my career Samuel E'too and the same season with Eto'o I won the Champions League"
After leading Inter to victory, Mourinho declared he was leaving the Italian team to join Real Madrid, one of the biggest teams in Europe, following the 2010 Champions League finals.
During his tenure in Spain, he won the Copa Del Rey in 2011 and defeated Barcelona to win La Liga in the 2011–12 campaign.
"At Real Madrid, I had all talents but the reason I didn't win the Champions League is that I had no African striker. I tried Emmanuel Adebayor but it was a loan move so Madrid does not like to use loaned Players," Mourinho, who also coached Tottenham pointed out.
"Brazil has great strikers, but if you look at them they are of African origin. I always teach new coaches in my coaching facilities that you must always have an African striker in your team."
