Jose Mourinho accepts his role as football management’s pantomime villain after splitting opinion throughout his career.
The 55-year-old has taken charge of some of the biggest clubs on the planet, including Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Manchester United.
Having regularly antagonised opposing players, coaches and supporters, Mourinho is a divisive figure in the game.
And the Portuguese tactician says his willingness to commit 100 percent to his club and total disregard for his own image has contributed to his unpopularity,
“It is my own nature,” he told beINSPORTS. “I arrive at the club, I wear the shirt and I only take the dirty and sweaty shirt off the day I left.
“I fight for the club and I don’t care about my image and I don’t care about any consequences.
“I go to Real Madrid, I become an enemy of Barcelona. I go to Inter and in Torino I cannot go in because people hate me there.
“Arsenal fans, maybe not anymore, but when I was Chelsea manager they hate me. I played 15 times against them, I won 12 and drew three. I never lost. They hate me.”
Mourinho is without a job after being sacked by United in December, after 144 matches and two-and-a-half years at the helm at Old Trafford.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been installed in interim charge and has won his first seven matches in a row to become the favourite to succeed Mourinho.
Reinstalling a spirit and drive within the United squad has been among the central successes of Solskjaer’s reign but Mourinho insists those characteristics were evident even during his spell.
Speaking about United’s history of scoring late goals, he added: “Fergie time is not an occasion it is a consequence of his mentality his spirit, his relationship with his players.
“I don’t think I have a bad record even at Man United of winning matches in extra time. Against Juventus we win in the 90th minute. Against Newcastle we won in the last minute.
“You can force your luck. Fundamentally when a team has a strong collective personality and has players who are not afraid to fight against the demons of the last minute you can force. The details are important on that.”
