How Jose Mourinho used rejection to fuel Inter Milan's Champions League triumph

Having got to the final, Inter went on to win it with Mourinho once again coming out on top in a friend-turned-foe showdown - this time against a Bayern Munich side managed by his former Barca boss Van Gaal.

For the Portuguese it was a second Champions League triumph - and, for the second time, an against-the-odds win, in which Mourinho's man-management skills were front and centre.

Porto's triumph in 2004 was also an underdog tale (the only side since the turn of the century from outside Europe's big five leagues to win the Champions League) and also a story where Mourinho's man-management came to the fore.

Benni McCarthy scored four goals to help them to the final and says of Mourinho: "He was passionate, caring and a master tactician. I had never seen that.

"He was the first manager I encountered who knew almost everything about every single player - the backgrounds, where they come from. How many family members do you have? Are your mum and dad still alive?

"He wanted to know about my upbringing, my struggles, the highs and lows. I just thought that was an unbelievable touch.

"I didn't even know people in football did that until Jose. I played for a few managers prior to that. None of them knew me. With Jose, it was the complete opposite.

"I was like: 'wow, what a manager to play for'.

"And you would run through a brick wall for him."

Mourinho agrees. "The lesson went with me all over my career. When I go to European competition, I always feel that I can win.

"If you build a strong team, a team with great tactical culture, with a great resilience, with mental stability to cope with the difficult moments, especially in the knockout games. You always have a chance.

"Champions League winners are always teams. They will have players that, in a certain moment, make the difference. But only teams do it, and very complete teams."

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