The former Manchester United and Chelsea manager took to social media to ask for forgiveness from one of his former players – after over 20 years.
Two decades after making one of the bravest decisions of his young coaching career, Jose Mourinho chose to apologize to one of his former stars. The reason? He kept him out of the biggest game in club football.
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In the summer of 2004, Porto did the unthinkable. With Mourinho at the helm, the Portuguese defied all odds and became European champions. Goals from Deco, Dmitri Alennichev and Carlos Alberto in the final against Monaco secured a historic Champions League trophy – in what would be Mourinho’s last game before he left the club for Chelsea.
It was a season filled with magic for the Portuguese team. And one player stood out as a crucial piece on the way to the final: striker Benni McCarthy.
When Benni McCarthy was scrapped in the final
McCarthy, who scored 25 goals during the 2003/04 season, was in the form of his life. He scored two unforgettable goals in the last eight against Manchester United – a match that was also the first European Cup match ever played at the Estadio do Dragão.
Therefore, the South African striker must have been shocked when Mourinho chose to start Carlos Alberto ahead of him in the final.
McCarthy was eventually sent on in the second half, becoming the first – and still the only – South African footballer to boast a Champions League trophy. Alberto, on the other hand, scored the decisive opening goal.
But the choice to scrap McCarthy has obviously weighed on Mourinho all these years.
The apology came on Instagram
20 years later, the controversial Portuguese took to Instagram and put all his cards on the table. The apology was as unexpected as it was heartfelt.
“I’m sorry I let you stay on the bench, @bennimac17, but I had a feeling that the crazy kid @calberto_oficial was going to score,” Mourinho wrote in the post.
He concluded with a warm message to the old team:
– Miss the meals on the team bus. Hope we can all meet on May 26, 2029 and celebrate 25 years of absolutely incredible history. Take care of yourselves, old guys.
McCarthy: “I wasn’t bigger than the team”
There are no bad feelings between the two. On the contrary, McCarthy has previously referred to Mourinho as an “incredible” leader – and given a rare insight into what his reaction actually was when he was told he would not start.
“I was a team player. In the Champions League final, if I had been a selfish asshole, I could have just said: ‘No, I want to play, I’ve got the team here’. But if I had to make sacrifices, I took it,” McCarthy told GOAL.
“I wasn’t bigger than the team. I was no bigger than anyone else. If the boss thinks it’s the best thing to do, well, then I accept it. I wasn’t happy, but I took it because it was in the best interest of the team. And I think that was precisely what was most respected.
“I think that’s why he will always speak warmly of me,” McCarthy adds. “Because I wasn’t a selfish player. I never made it something that was about me.
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