"I thought they were all dead. I'm glad none of them are in hospital because it looked like they would all have to go." – Mourinho accuses Levante of time-wasting and feigning injury after a league game (September).
"Football is waiting for (Cruyff) to be a teacher. I want him to come forward and teach me. I humbly ask for it. I want him to help me to be a better coach because I don't want to stop learning. But he cannot teach me to be national champion because I already am three times. He cannot teach me how to win cups and Super Cups because I already did. He cannot teach me to conquer the Uefa Cup because I also have it. He cannot teach me to become a European champion either." – Mourinho's retort to Johan Cruyff, who criticised the style of play of Mourinho's teams, maintaining he would never have him as coach of his team. (October).
"It's not good that coaches want to be protagonists. I can only understand that a coach wants to be the centre of attention because he has not lived that sensation as a player. That he would like to be a footballer but never was." – Tito Vilanova, Pep Guardiola's number two2, on Mourinho (November).
"My grandmother died a long time ago but I remember what she told me as a child. 'If they are envious of you, you should be happy', and this has happened to me. I'm pleased there is one rule for José Mourinho and one for the other coaches. It's a historic punishment for me. Following the line of my old grandmother, it's a medal not a punishment. I can't leave the technical area, others can. I can't pick up a ball an adversary wants, others can. I can't speak with the fourth official, others can. They are medals so, no worries." – Mourinho responds to a two-match Uefa ban for engineering the sending off of Xabi Alonso and Sergio Ramos in a Champions League pool game so they would be available to play in the knockout stages. (December).
"What time is it? Do you know of a good restaurant to go for dinner?" – Chendo, a former Real Madrid player who works as a club official for Real Madrid, carrying out some 'pestering' when told by Mourinho to put pressure on the game's fourth official (March).
"The same thing couldn't happen with me that happened with Pelligrini because if Madrid fires me I won't coach Malaga. I'd go to a big club in England or Italy." – Mourinho takes a dig at Manuel Pelligrini, his predecessor at Real Madrid, who is currently managing relegation-zoned Malaga (March).
"I would like to play against Barcelona with 11 men. I would really like to but I know that in Spain and in Europe that is mission impossible. They are a team that controls every situation that surrounds the game. When we got off the bench (to protest), we were told to sit back down; when they did it, they could do whatever they like. I would love to have the control of football that they do. I do not understand why they dominate the situation but they do." – Mourinho after playing with 10 men against Barcelona in their league tie at the Bernabéu (April).
"Are you the director with AS? If not, I can't reply because according to your philosophy, if you won't speak to my number two, I will only speak to directors." – Mourinho at the same press conference to a journalist from AS, a Madrid-based newspaper. The day before, 30 journalists from ASand other publications walked out of Mourinho's pre-match press conference because The Special One refused to speak; instead his assistant coach Aitor Karanka answered questions with Mourinho sitting in silence and only intervening to help with translations for members of the foreign press. Mourinho justified his actions by saying that Madrid's press have been "distorting" his words.
