When Jose Mourinho got here calling within the mid-to-late 2000s, gamers invariably listened, determined for achievement below the influential Portuguese supervisor.
Sulley Muntari skilled precisely that in 2008. Having spent only a season at Portsmouth , the place he helped Harry Redknapp’s aspect win the FA Cup following a £7.1m transfer from Udinese in 2007, the midfielder attracted loads of consideration from throughout Europe – not least from Jose Mourinho .
Having simply arrived at Inter as Roberto Mancini’s substitute, Mourinho needed an all-action midfielder to bolster his aspect. Whereas makes an attempt to reunite with Frank Lampard had been in the end in useless, it did not take lengthy to persuade Muntari to swap the south coast for Milan.
Jose Mourinho rapidly satisfied Muntari to affix Inter
Muntari joins Mourinho at Inter (Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
“Mourinho was in Ghana in the course of the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations. I used to be additionally with Portsmouth at the moment so we performed towards his Chelsea aspect and we had been good,” Muntari informed Flashscore .
An important participant for Ghana that match, Muntari scored thrice as they completed third at AFCON, with the midfielder additionally voted as an All-Star Participant. That definitely piqued Mourinho’s curiosity additional, who was out of labor whereas watching that match after leaving Chelsea just a few months earlier than.
Muntari lifts the FA Cup trophy aloft (Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
“After the African Cup, throughout pre-season for my second season [at Portsmouth] my agent known as me and mentioned, ‘Possibly, perhaps, perhaps Inter Milan will name you’. Throughout coaching, I put in some very nice crosses and Redknapp mentioned whereas laughing, ‘That is wonderful. That’s glorious. That is why the highest groups like Inter need to purchase you.’
“So once I bought house, the identical day I bought a name from Jose and he mentioned, ‘You need to come play for me?’ I mentioned, ‘Sure sir’. He replied, ‘I am going to see you in Milan tomorrow’. He simply put the cellphone down. That is it, then I signed for Inter the following day. The remainder was historical past.”
Muntari in the end ended up costing Inter £16m – greater than double what Portsmouth had paid only a 12 months earlier than – however he went on to play a big position in Inter’s 2009/10 treble-winning season.
That marketing campaign proved his closing significant one at Inter, nevertheless, with mortgage spells at Sunderland after which AC Milan leading to a everlasting change to the Rossoneri. Whereas there he was afforded the chance to play with Kaka, who had returned to Milan for the 2013/14 season.
“Kaka regarded tender from the skin, however he was loud,” Muntari mentioned. “He was wonderful. You know the way automobiles change velocity? From first, second and third gears. That is how Kaka was.
“I’ve performed towards him and with him. When he got here from Madrid to affix Milan, as soon as he handed the ball he took off with prime velocity. Throughout prime velocity he modifies velocity once more, I’ve by no means seen something like that. Solely with Pato, he was closest to altering velocity like that. However Kaka was simply unbelievable.”