Jose Mourinho has always possessed an uncanny ability to make every occasion about himself and Manchester United’s win over Juventus on Wednesday night was no exception.
Having watched his side claim an unlikely and vitally important Champions League win in Turin, Mourinho decided to taunt the home fans who’d spent the night goading him.
His cupped ear celebration on the pitch sparked a fracas with Leonardo Bonucci and others squaring up to the United boss before Ashley Young acted as peacemaker.
Jose Mourinho celebrates Manchester United’s win over Juventus on Wednesday night with an ear cup celebration after being insulted by fans throughout
Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci took exception to Mourinho’s post-match celebration
United skipper Ashley Young had to act as peacemaker as Juventus players argued
Afterwards, Mourinho justified his reaction by mentioning the torrent of abuse he’d received from the stands, with Calcio Mercato reporting that Juve fans shouted ‘figlio di puttana’ (‘son of a b****’) and ‘il triplete mettilo nel culo’ (‘shove the Treble up your a***’) at him.
Mourinho said: ‘I didn’t offend anyone at the end, I just made a gesture that I wanted to hear them louder.
‘I probably shouldn’t have done it, and with a cool head I wouldn’t have done it. But with my family insulted, including my Inter family, I reacted like this.’
The mention of Inter Milan gets to the heart of the enmity. Mourinho managed the club for two years between 2008 and 2010, famously winning the Treble of Serie A title, Italian Cup and Champions League in the 2009-10 season.
That Treble is evidently at the forefront of Mourinho’s mind every time he comes up against Juventus because he brandished three fingers at the travelling Juve fans after they won 1-0 at Old Trafford a fortnight ago.
Mourinho shows the Juventus fans three fingers at Old Trafford to represent the Treble he won as manager of Inter Milan in 2010
Mourinho’s Inter won an unprecedented Treble of Serie A, Italian Cup and Champions League
Mourinho lifts the European Cup after Inter Milan beat Bayern Munich 2-0 back in 2010
For those who believe Mourinho still dines out a little too much on past glories, it certainly adds weight to their argument.
We have seen time and time again that the Portuguese is not one to drop grudges and he was only too keen to milk this latest triumph over Juventus for all it was worth.
Mourinho came to Inter during a period of dominance with Juventus still reeling from the aftermath of the Calciopoli scandal and their relegation to Serie B, so it wasn’t like he knocked them off their perch.
But in elevating Inter to champions of Europe, he accomplished something that Juve had not managed since 1996 – and still haven’t managed to this day.
Furthermore, Juventus have never achieved a Treble of trophies in the way Inter did that year and, Mourinho being Mourinho, he isn’t going to let them forget it. Even eight years later.
Mourinho arrived in Italian football in the summer of 2008, replacing Roberto Mancini, and didn’t take long before launching various hand grenades at his rivals.
Mourinho’s Inter achieved the Treble – something Juventus have been unable to replicate
The Portuguese manager kisses the Italian Cup trophy after Inter’s win over Roma in 2010
Juve’s manager at the time was Claudio Ranieri, the man Mourinho replaced at Chelsea, and it wasn’t long before the insults were flying.
When Ranieri said, ‘I am not like Mourinho, I don’t have to win things to be sure of myself,’ in 2008, Mourinho launched a tirade.
‘Ranieri? I guess he’s right with what he said I am very demanding of myself and I have to win to be sure of things. This is why I have won so many trophies in my career.
‘Ranieri on the other hand has the mentality of someone who doesn’t need to win. He is almost 70 years old. He has won a Supercup and another small trophy and he is too old to change his mentality.
‘He’s old and he hasn’t won anything. I studied Italian five hours a day for many months to ensure I could communicate with the players, media and fans.
‘Ranieri had been in England for five years and still struggled to say ‘good morning’ and ‘good afternoon.’
The pair later buried the hatchet when Ranieri led Leicester City to the Premier League title in 2016.
An animated Mourinho on the sidelines during Inter’s 2-0 win over Juventus in April 2010
Mourinho with Juventus coach Ciro Ferrara during a meeting between the teams in 2009
Ranieri was replaced by Ciro Ferrara for what proved to be Inter’s Treble season and Mourinho was sent off during their first meeting of the season, a 2-1 loss for Inter, after sarcastically applauding the referee for what he felt was a dubious Juventus free-kick.
Despite that, Inter went on to claim the Scudetto again with Juventus a distant seventh, 27 points behind them.
It proved the first silverware of a stunning Treble, with Mourinho’s Inter crowned kings of Europe when they beat Bayern Munich 2-0 in the Champions League final.
Though Juventus look far more likely to win the Champions League in the near-future, having won the last seven Italian titles, Mourinho won’t be letting them forget about Inter’s Treble triumph anytime soon.
After his three-fingered gesture at Old Trafford, he said: ‘They can win everything; their goal can be the Treble. For now, it doesn’t belong to them: unfortunately for their supporters, we are the only ones who won it.
‘It’s an obvious response. Obviously, they don’t love me. Obviously the toughest moment for them was our Treble.’
And he isn’t going to let them forget it.