Ahead of Fenerbahce's Champions League play-off matches against Benfica, Mourinho was asked in an interview with Sporty Net which player had helped him the most in his career. "The Special One" immediately replied, "Messi. Because every time I faced him, he forced me to think a lot,".

Mourinho (left) and Messi. Photo: Goal

Besides Cristiano Ronaldo, many stars have played over 100 games under Mourinho, such as Ricardo Carvalho, John Terry, Frank Lampard, Xabi Alonso, Didier Drogba, Sergio Ramos, and Eden Hazard. Despite this, Mourinho didn't choose any of these players, instead naming Messi.

Between 2010 and 2013, Mourinho managed Real Madrid and frequently faced Messi's Barcelona. Despite the pressure from the Catalan side, Real still won La Liga in the 2011-2012 season with 100 points, a record at the time. Mourinho admitted that Messi's presence forced him to constantly adapt and innovate.

However, the 62-year-old coach refused to call Messi the "greatest of all time" (GOAT). He believes that comparing players across generations is unfair because football has changed so much. "The younger generation may know Messi and Ronaldo, but they know little about Pele, Eusebio, or Franz Beckenbauer. In the past, when it rained, the ball weighed 10 kg, but now it flies very easily," he said.

Mourinho worked with Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid and considers Ronaldo one of the biggest stars he has ever managed. However, when discussing the GOAT debate between Messi and Ronaldo, he said that "it's difficult to directly compare both with the legends of the past,".

Mourinho is aiming to lead Fenerbahce to the Champions League group stage. The Turkish side overcame Feyenoord with a 6-4 aggregate score in the third qualifying round to face Benfica in the play-off.

The first leg will take place on the evening of 20/8 in Istanbul, with the second leg a week later in Lisbon. If they overcome Benfica, Fenerbahce will make their first appearance in the Champions League group stage since 2008.

Hoang An (via TNT Sports)