'Mourinho called and said, "You want to play for me?" I said, "Yes sir". He replied, "I'll see you in Milan tomorrow" then put the phone down - I signed for Inter the next day': How Jose Mourinho easily persuaded Premier League star to make Serie A move

LEVERKUSEN, GERMANY - MAY 18: Jose Mourinho, Head Coach of AS Roma, celebrates after the UEFA Europa League semi-final second leg match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and AS Roma at BayArena on May 18, 2023 in Leverkusen, Germany. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)
Mourinho celebrates winning (Image credit: Getty Images)

When Jose Mourinho came calling in the mid-to-late 2000s, players invariably listened, desperate for success under the influential Portuguese manager.

Sulley Muntari experienced exactly that in 2008. Having spent just a season at Portsmouth, where he helped Harry Redknapp's side win the FA Cup following a £7.1m move from Udinese in 2007, the midfielder attracted plenty of attention from across Europe - not least from Jose Mourinho.

Having just arrived at Inter as Roberto Mancini's replacement, Mourinho wanted an all-action midfielder to bolster his side. While attempts to reunite with Frank Lampard were ultimately in vain, it didn't take long to convince Muntari to swap the south coast for Milan.

Jose Mourinho quickly convinced Muntari to join Inter

Sulley Ali Muntari of Ghana (C) shows his new Inter Milan jersey next to Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho (R) and manager Gabriele Oriali during his official presentation at the Inter Milan headquarter in Milan July 28,2008. Muntari, 23, transfers form Portsmouth to Inter Milan after an offer of around 12 million pounds (15 million euros). AFP PHOTO/ Emilio Andreoli (Photo credit should read Emilio Andreoli/AFP via Getty Images)

Muntari joins Mourinho at Inter (Image credit: Getty Images)

"Mourinho was in Ghana during the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations. I was also with Portsmouth at that time so we played against his Chelsea side and we were good," Muntari told Flashscore.

A crucial player for Ghana that tournament, Muntari scored three times as they finished third at AFCON, with the midfielder also voted as an All-Star Player. That certainly piqued Mourinho's interest further, who was out of work while watching that tournament after leaving Chelsea a few months before.

Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp (L), Sulley Muntari (with cup) and John Utaka (R)and the rest of the Portsmouth football team parade the FA Cup through the streets of Portsmouth in an open top bus after beating Cardiff 1-0 in the FA Cup Final, Portsmouth, England, on May 18, 2008. AFP PHOTO / GLYN KIRK (Photo credit should read GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images) Jose Mourinho

Muntari lifts the FA Cup trophy aloft (Image credit: Getty Images)

"After the African Cup, during pre-season for my second season [at Portsmouth] my agent called me and said, 'Maybe, maybe, maybe Inter Milan will call you’. During training, I put in some really nice crosses and Redknapp said while laughing, ‘That's amazing. That’s excellent. That's why the top teams like Inter want to buy you.’

"So when I got home, the same day I got a call from Jose and he said, ‘You want to come play for me?’ I said, 'Yes sir'. He replied, ‘I'll see you in Milan tomorrow’. He just put the phone down. That's it, then I signed for Inter the next day. The rest was history."

Muntari ultimately ended up costing Inter £16m - more than double what Portsmouth had paid just a year before - but he went on to play a significant role in Inter's 2009/10 treble-winning season.

That campaign proved his final meaningful one at Inter, however, with loan spells at Sunderland and then AC Milan resulting in a permanent switch to the Rossoneri. While there he was afforded the opportunity to play with Kaka, who had returned to Milan for the 2013/14 season.

"Kaka looked soft from the outside, but he was loud," Muntari said. "He was amazing. You know how cars change speed? From first, second and third gears. That's how Kaka was.

"I’ve played against him and with him. When he came from Madrid to join Milan, once he passed the ball he took off with top speed. During top speed he changes speed again, I’ve never seen anything like that. Only with Pato, he was closest to changing speed like that. But Kaka was just unbelievable."

Ryan Dabbs
Staff writer

Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future. 

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