The 14 players to work for Mourinho and Guardiola

Fourteen different players have played under great rivals Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola – but what have they said about two of the modern era’s greatest managers?

There’s no single recipe for success in football. Different management styles suit different players. Paternal motivators, ego wranglers, fear merchants, orchestral conductors ‒ they all have their place.

As much as any moment of skill, it’s the game of chess in the technical area that makes football compelling. Sometimes styles clash and it spills over into something altogether more personal.

For the past decade, there’s been no better rivalry than the fire and ice stylings of Mourinho and Guardiola. It’s the ultimate tussle between idealism and pragmatism.

There is, however, some overlap. For Guardiola or Mourinho to get the best out of their squad, they need total buy-in from the players. Commitment and discipline are not negotiable.

It’s an elite sliver of Venn diagram that houses the shared assets of the Spaniard and Portuguese. Here’s a selection of quotes from those with first-hand experience of working for both.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg

Games under Guardiola: 23

Goals: 0

Trophies: 3

– “He is the most demanding person, not only coach, that I have ever met,” Hojbjerg told The Times in 2018.

“He always told me about controlling the game with or without the ball. To make the player you play against react to you, not you to him.

“He used to say to me, ‘Pierre, the most important thing is, if they are close to you, go out and if they are open, you go in, but you need to read it.’ He would say: ‘You need to tell me after one minute, how do they play.’

“We sit on the bus [at Bayern] after we have won and he sits on the bus watching the game and then he is in his office with two laptops and a television and he is analysing.

“Maybe that’s what makes him the greatest. But also maybe that is what makes him lose, because it is too much, he drowns. I don’t judge him but he is the greatest teacher I have had.”

Games under Mourinho: 46

Goals: 1

Trophies: None

– “It’s great to train under Jose Mourinho,” Hojberg told BT in 2020. “He is a great trainer and he has a great personality. You can learn a lot from him, and he’s incredibly hungry and motivated to keep learning, and that’s really cool.

“He’s himself. He is a great man and a great coach and he is a great motivation to keep doing his best for the club and for the team.

“Each…