Osayi-Samuel Opens Up on Working With José Mourinho

Super Eagles star Bright Osayi-Samuel has shared his experience of working under Portuguese coach José Mourinho. The Nigerian defender described Mourinho as an interesting and demanding manager who sets very high standards.

Osayi-Samuel recalled his first day under the former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss and how Mourinho made his expectations clear straight away.

“I remember my first day — I came late to training because I had a national team game. The first thing he said to me was, ‘You are a good player, but you need to run more.’ I was like, what? You know? That just shows what type of guy he is. He can be ruthless when things go wrong. There were times we had to stay on the training ground for 34 days because we didn’t play well. But if we played well, he’d give us four or five days off,” he said.

The Fenerbahçe star added that Mourinho demands consistency from his players and expects them to adapt quickly to his style. He also spoke about the personal side of the coach, saying Mourinho often shared stories from his long career in football.

“He had stories for days. We would stay in his room the day before a game and just speak for hours. He would tell us stories of players, and we’d all mention players we knew, because he had a story for every single player. He has a rich history of the game,” Osayi-Samuel added.

Despite describing Mourinho as tough, the Nigerian international said the coach also rewards good performances.

“He’s a great guy, and I’m honoured to work with him,” Osayi-Samuel concluded.

Mourinho was later dismissed as Fenerbahçe manager and moved on to Benfica, where his team is currently competing in the Portuguese league.