5 greatest bargain signings by Jose Mourinho

Jose Mourinho will surely be remembered as one of football's greatest managers and operators.

The Portuguese has won trophies at almost every club he has managed and shaped the careers of many talented stars. He has always been a no-filter manager who has maintained complete transparency with his players and the press.

Throughout his career, Mourinho has mastered the art of taking over clubs and building their squads in order to compete with the best sides. The 59-year-old has not shied away from making tough and controversial calls at different points in his managerial career and they have often repaid him well.

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Some of Mourinho's signings performed well beyond expectations

Mourinho always had an eye for detail and a knack for finding exactly what would substantially improve his original squad. Luckily, a man like him was hardly ever short on funding and spent big bucks to get the targets he wanted.

There have been plenty of disappointing signings as well but when things worked out, their positive impact was incredible.

Some of Mourinho's signings really changed the fortunes of the clubs he managed and benefitted them in the immediate present as well as in the future. We drew up a list of the best bargain signings made by the self-proclaimed "Special One."

Here they are:

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#5 Angel Di Maria - Benfica to Real Madrid (2010)

Angel Di Maria was an incredible winger for Real Madrid.

It could be argued that the upward trajectory Angel Di Maria's career took on and where he finds himself today is largely based on his transfer to Real Madrid.

Jose Mourinho already had a star-studded team at his disposal when he arrived in Spain. But the Portuguese was well aware of the talent available back in Portugal and got the Argentine transferred from Benfica to the Spanish giants for €33m.

Di Maria almost instantly became indispensable to Los Blancos. His creativity and vision coupled with his passing range were a delight for fellow attackers who were being fed by him from all directions.

Most of the time, defenders couldn't keep track of him and were left in their wake by the forward. Those who were able to keep up with his pace were turned inside out by his amazing dribbling. There was no stopping the Argentine forward during his years at the Santiago Bernabeu.

With Mourinho in charge of Los Blancos, they won the La Liga title, and the Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana trophies as well. After the Portuguese tactician left, Di Maria played an important part under Carlo Ancelotti to help Real Madrid win the UEFA Champions League in 2014. Incidentally, Di Maria was the UEFA Man of the Match in the final against Atletico Madrid.

He left Los Blancos for Manchester United after making 190 appearances for the team in which he contributed 36 goals and 85 assists. The Argentine's sale to the Premier League club is the most profitable transfer in the Spanish club's history.

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#4 Diego Milito - Genoa to Inter Milan (2009)

Diego Milito was a force to be reckoned with at Inter Milan.

The best trophies cannot be won without incredible players. Jose Mourinho could thank Zlatan Ibrahimovic as the Swede ensured the Portuguese won the Serie A title in his very first season at Inter Milan.

Ibrahimovic, however, signed for Barcelona in the summer of 2009, leaving Mourinho devoid of a reliable attacking figure. That's when Diego Milito entered the scene and changed the fortunes of the club. Milito helped the Portuguese manager and the Nerazzurri record one of their best seasons in professional football.

The Argentine joined Genoa for his second spell with the Italian club after proving his mettle in Spain while playing for Real Zaragoza. Milito was as dangerous in Italy as in Spain and scored 24 goals in 31 Serie A matches in addition to providing nine assists.

The Nerazzurri trusted Mourinho with their signings and in came the Genoa hitman for €28m. Not the strongest and most imposing figure, Milito made up for his average physique with his explosive pace and calm demeanor in front of goal.

He scored absolutely vital goals for the team repeatedly in the the 2009-10 season as Inter Milan completed a famous continental treble.

The Argentine's goal on the final day of the campaign stole the Scudetto from Roma and he also scored the winner in the Coppa Italia final. If that wasn't enough, Milito then recorded a brace to help Inter beat Bayern Munich in the Champions League final. He also scored in every knockout round that campaign.

Even after Mourinho left, Milito continued to serve the club and remained the consistent hitman that he was. By the time he departed Milan in 2014, the Argentine had made 175 appearances for Inter, scoring 75 goals and assisting 31 more.

#3 Wesley Sneijder - Real Madrid to Inter Milan (2009)

Wesley Sneijder was incredible during the 2009-10 campaign for Inter Milan.

When Jose Mourinho signed Wesley Sneijder, he was a wounded animal waiting to be unleashed.

Real Madrid were in the mood for Galactico signings in the summer of 2009 and notably brought in Ballon d'Or winner Kaka. The competition for places at the club increased and Sneijder found himself in a strange situation.

He was eventually shown the door and Mourinho gladly welcomed him to Inter Milan for a decent sum of €15m. The Dutchman became the catalyst for the Italian club's attack, pulling the strings from midfield and allowing the likes of Samuel Eto'o and Diego Milito to thrive.

The Nerrazurri attacked majorly on the counters and Sneijder was the focal point of it all. He played extremely well-weighted passes to release players, while also stitching play carefully with one-twos and his impressive creativity.

The Netherlands international was so important that Mourinho's side only lost two games in Serie A in the 2009-10 campaign and both were in his absence. From being abandoned for Kaka to finishing fourth in the list for the Ballon d'Or 2010, the midfielder really turned his career on its head.

In fact, most people argued that the 2010 FIFA World Cup finalist with Netherlands and continental treble winner with Inter deserved the award that year.

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#2 Ashley Cole - Arsenal to Chelsea (2006)

Ashley Cole remains one of the greatest full-backs in the history of the game.

Arguably the best left-back of the Premier League era, Ashley Cole signed for Mourinho's Chelsea from Arsenal in a deal worth €7.4m in 2006. The move also saw William Gallas move the other way.

The England international joined the Blues at the peak of his powers when he was almost always in a rich vein of form.

Mourinho was in charge for only two years after he brought the Arsenal full-back to Chelsea and was sacked in 2008. However, Cole served the club with complete dedication and commitment for eight long years. He made 338 appearances for the Blues and contributed seven goals and 38 assists.

The left-back managed to win the Premier League once in 2010 under Carlo Ancelotti. He also won four FA Cups, the Champions League and the Europa League before leaving for Roma in 2014.

Interestingly, when Mourinho returned for his second spell with Chelsea, Cole was still going strong at the west London club.

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#1 Zlatan Ibrahimovic - PSG to Manchester United (2016)

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is one of Manchester United's better signings in recent years.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic completed a move as a free agent for the first time in his career when he joined Manchester United due to Mourinho's presence at the helm. The two had established a great relationship at Inter Milan even though they worked only for a year together.

The super Swede hit the ground running at Old Trafford almost immediately after arriving in 2016. He scored in his first game for the club, an FA Community Shield game against Leicester City which they won 2-1.

Ibrahimovic then scored on his Premier League debut and ended that season with 28 goals in 46 appearances across all competitions.

Ibrahimovic scored 17 times in the 2016-17 Premier League campaign, making him the oldest striker to score 15 goals in a single English top-flight season.

Interestingly, when Mourinho won the Champions League in 2010, the Swede had already left the club. However, this time the two were able to lift a piece of European silverware together during their stint at Old Trafford.

The Swede was injured and out of the squad for the semi-finals and the final but he did get a UEFA Europa League winners' medal. It was his first major European honor and remains Manchester United's most recent piece of silverware.