WATCH: Mourinho heaps praise on ‘phenomenal’ Liverpool fans after Champions League victory
Jose Mourinho has hailed Liverpool fans for their role in helping “push” their team to a sixth top European title with victory over Tottenham in Madrid on Saturday night.
Liverpool beat Spurs 2-0 to win the Champions League, backed by tens of thousands of their fans in the Spanish capital.
The Anfield club have frequently drawn on their famous support during this year’s competition, particularly given some of their struggles on the road, losing three all three group games away – at Paris Saint-Germain, Napoli and Red Star Belgrade – as well suffering a 3-0 defeat in the semi-final first leg against Barcelona at the Nou Camp.
READ MORE: Liverpool stage comeback for the ages to beat Barcelona and reach Champions League final
Mourinho was in attendance at Saturday’s game at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium, and appeared particularly moved by one rendition by Reds’ fans of their famous ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ anthem.
And when asked on his RT show ‘On the Touchline with Jose Mourinho’ to pick his ‘Special One’ from the final, the former Chelsea and Manchester United boss declined to name anyone from among the Liverpool players, instead choosing the team’s fans.
“Liverpool fans… incredible,” Mourinho said.
“I always give this as an example, also because it’s an example which makes me happy obviously. I think it was 2005/6, something like that. We, Chelsea, we were winning at Anfield I think 4-0 for the Premier League, and I couldn’t believe that the whole stadium, losing 4-0, was singing exactly the same way, with the same passion, with the same enthusiasm, with the same pride, the same songs that they were singing yesterday after being European champions. It’s a special way to live the club and to live football.”
“They were very important pushing the team to the final, they beat Barcelona at home in that incredible way… even in the group phase they had some difficulties, they beat Paris Saint-Germain at home, I watched that game, also incredible support by the fans. And in the final they were again phenomenal.”
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Continuing in words that might be painful to hear for fans of former club Manchester United – Liverpool’s most bitter rivals – Mourinho piled more platitudes on the Anfield faithful, as well as manager Jurgen Klopp.
“I think the fans were a continuation of the team. Football fans, they like this kind of player, of manager, this kind of team, even if we don’t win, we don’t play well, but you have the guarantee that the team will give everything, and this is a team [Liverpool] that I have that feeling.
“It must be a very good group of human beings,” he added.
You can get all of Mourinho’s expert insight into the Champions League final in the latest episode ‘On the Touchline with Jose Mourinho’ here:
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