José Mourinho emphasized that his Premier League titles with Chelsea were earned fairly, responding to Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola’s remark highlighting his six English top-flight titles compared to Mourinho’s three.
Guardiola, reacting to chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning” after City’s 2-0 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday, held up six fingers to the home crowd, signaling his league triumphs.
During his tenure at Manchester United, Mourinho famously gestured three fingers to rival fans, referencing his Premier League titles, before being dismissed in December 2018 following a defeat to Liverpool. When questioned in a press conference about the possibility of facing a similar outcome, Guardiola addressed the speculation.
“I hope not in my case… he won three, I won six… but we are the same like that,” Guardiola said.
“If I lost, I want to congratulate my opponent because he was better than me. I don’t want to win by dealing with 150 court cases.” Mourinho has previously criticized Manchester City, expressing hope that he could secure a fourth Premier League title for himself if City were stripped of their trophies and Manchester United, who finished second in the 2017-2018 season, were awarded the title instead.
During his Friday afternoon press conference, Guardiola was questioned about Mourinho’s remarks.
“It was a joke. It was a joke,” the Spaniard said. “He’s another one in a huge list that wants the team to be in… I don’t know, in League One or in the Conference. I would say to Jose the same – we are innocent until proven guilty and, after that, we will see what happens. It is what it is. It was completely a joke.”
🚨 José Mourinho: “Pep Guardiola said something to me yesterday… he won six trophies and I won three, but I won fairly and cleanly”.
“I don't want to win by dealing with 150 lawsuits”.
“If I lost, I want to congratulate my opponent”, says — via @MailSport. pic.twitter.com/kvW5j0DURl
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 6, 2024
The pair enjoyed a fierce rivalry during their stint in La Liga with Guardiola managing Barcelona and Mourinho at Real Madrid. Later the duo locked horns in the Premier League between Spainiard’s Man City and Portugueese’s Man Utd and Tottenham Hotspur.
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Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
