Tottenham legend Ledley King worked with Jose Mourinho in the dugout – and saw contrasting faces of the Special One
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Tottenham cult hero Ledley King has opened up to FourFourTwo on what it was really like to be a member of Jose Mourinho's coaching staff at the Lilywhites.
Mourinho managed Tottenham from 2019 until 2021 in a short stint which saw the Portuguese replace the much-loved Mauricio Pochettino. While at the club, he enlisted the help of fan favourite King to join his backroom team.
"Jose came in and said that he’d like me to be part of his staff," King told FFT. "I wasn’t even coaching – I’ve never been a coach.
Jose Mourinho managed Tottenham across three seasons (Image credit: Julian Finney/Getty Images)
"It’s one of those things that you simply can’t turn down: this is Jose Mourinho. It was an unbelievable experience. I enjoyed it."
For a while, it looked like Tottenham may launch a title charge. After finding themselves top of the Premier League during the lockdown season, King now reveals he got his hopes up and genuinely believed Spurs could win the league.
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"In the first part of the season, everything was going well," he says. "We were top of the league in December and I thought we were going to win it! But sadly we fell off in the second half. We got to a cup final, beat Manchester United 6-1 at Old Trafford, and beat Arsenal and Manchester City at home."
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So what is Jose really like? Is he really as grumpy as he comes across?
Ledley King had never coached before Jose Mourinho asked him to be a part of his staff (Image credit: Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)
"The one thing about Jose is that, away from the cameras and the training ground, he’s a lot of fun to be around," King reveals. "He genuinely is. He loves to have a laugh and tell stories – he’s got so many great stories. At dinner time, he makes everyone laugh, but then when it comes to the football side it’s very serious.
"There were two sides to Mourinho that not everyone gets to see, and I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to see them."
A former goalkeeper, Ketch joined FourFourTwo as Deputy Editor in 2022 having worked across ChronicleLive, LeedsLive, Hull Daily Mail, YorkshireLive, Teesside Gazette and the Huddersfield Examiner as a Northern Football Editor. Prior to that he was the Senior Writer at BBC Match of the Day magazine. He has interviewed the likes of Harry Kane, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Gareth Southgate and attended two World Cup finals and a Champions League final. He has been a Newcastle United season ticket holder since 2000 and has an expensive passion for collecting classic football shirts.
