Top 10 players who failed under Jose Mourinho 

Jose Mourinho is generally regarded as one of the greatest managers the game has ever seen. Since first arriving on the scene as the manager of Benfica in 2000, the Portuguese tactician has proven himself to be a serial winner, managing to get the best out of his players and winning trophies in multiple countries.

The self-proclaimed 'Special One' has won eight league titles in four different countries during his two-decade-long managerial career. Jose Mourinho has managed some of the biggest football clubs in the world like Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.

Mourinho's pragmatic style of football has helped him win 25 trophies at nine different clubs. The 58-year-old has managed some of the best players in the world, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Harry Kane.

The former Chelsea manager is known for demanding a lot of his players. Jose Mourinho has never shied away from voicing his opinion or criticising his players publicly. His tactics sometimes prove to be demotivating and demoralising as well.

Over the years, there have been a number of top players who have fallen out with Jose Mourinho or failed to impress under the Portuguese tactician. On that note, let's take a look at the top ten such players who failed to get going under Jose Mourinho.

#10 Juan Cuadradro

Juan Cuadrado (left)

Juan Cuadrado was one of the hottest players in Europe after his impressive performances for Columbia at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The versatile winger joined Chelsea from Fiorentina in a deal worth £24 million in February 2015.

Cuadrado, though, failed to impress Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho during his time at Stamford Bridge as the winger failed to adapt to the speed and physicality of the Premier League.

After just half a season with the Blues, Juan Cuadrado was loaned out to Juventus, where he has become an indispensable player over the years, winning five Serie A titles in six years.

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#9 Andriy Shevchenko

Andriy Shevchenko (left)

When Andriy Shevchenko joined Chelsea from AC Milan in 2006, the Ukrainian was widely considered to be one of the best strikers in the world. Jose Mourinho, who was desperate to sign a strike partner for Didier Drogba, managed to land Shevchenko on a £31 million transfer.

Shevchenko, though, struggled during his first season at Chelsea under Jose Mourinho, scoring just four goals in 30 Premier League appearances. The Ukrainian's performances marginally improved after Mourinho's departure, but he could never live up to expectations before he was loaned out to AC Milan.

#8 Juan Mata

Juan Mata

Juan Mata joined Chelsea from Valencia in the summer of 2011. The Spanish midfielder was awarded the Player of the Year award at Chelsea in his first two seasons at the club and was one of the most feared playmakers in the Premier League.

After Jose Mourinho's arrival at Chelsea in 2013, Mata was often left out of the starting XI, as the Portuguese preferred to play midfielders with more physical presence and work-rate than Mata.

Juan Mata later reunited with Jose Mourinho at Manchester United, but regular playing time remained an issue for the player under the former Chelsea manager.

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#7 Kaka

Kaka

Real Madrid signed Brazilian maestro Kaka from AC Milan in the summer of 2009 in a deal worth €68.5 million. The legendary attacking midfielder was considered to be one of the top three players in the world, along with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

After an impressive first season with Real Madrid, Kaka was plagued by injuries in his second season. Many believed that the appointment of Jose Mourinho by Real Madrid would help revive Kaka's career.

Kaka, though, rarely featured under Jose Mourinho, as the Portuguese preferred to play German playmaker Mesut Ozil ahead of the Brazilian during his time at Real Madrid. The 2002 FIFA World Cup winner struggled with fitness issues and could never replicate his AC Milan form.

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#6 Iker Casillas

Iker Casillas

Iker Casillas' falling out with Jose Mourinho is one of the most well-documented spats between player and coach in recent history.

Jose Mourinho signed Diego Lopez from Sevilla after Casillas suffered a long-term injury. Mourinho opted to play Lopez ahead of Casillas even after the Spanish goalkeeper's return from injury.

The decision attracted heavy criticism from fans and pundits due to Casillas' legendary status as a Spain and Real Madrid player.

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#5 Ricardo Quaresma

Ricardo Quaresma

Portuguese winger Ricardo Quaresma has always been regarded as an enigma during his near two-decade-long playing career. The 37-year-old is capable of producing game-changing moments but has struggled for consistency.

Quaresma was signed in 2008 by then Inter Milan manager Jose Mourinho. Despite impressing with his skills, Quaresma's work rate left a lot to be desired. Mourinho said about his compatriot in this regard:

"He is a great talent, but the joy I have in seeing the way Ibra works for and with the team, I do not that yet have with Quaresma. He will have to learn, otherwise he won’t play, and I am sure he'll change and become more tactically disciplined. He likes kicking the ball with the outside of his foot, but if you ask me about him in a few months' time, we'll be talking about a different Quaresma."

Quaresma made just 24 league appearances under Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan before he was sold to Turkish club Besiktas in 2010.

When speaking about his time at Inter, as per The Telegraph, Quaresma was quoted saying:

"My biggest regret was joining Inter. I felt on the margins of the squad and woke up crying when I had to attend training sessions."

#4 Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Henrikh Mkhitaryan was signed by Jose Mourinho for Manchester United from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2016. The Armenian midfielder arrived at Old Trafford after three successful campaigns in Dortmund.

Manchester United fans expected big things from Mkhitaryan and were pleased to see the impact he had during his debut season. The playmaker, though, soon fell out of favour under Jose Mourinho and was used mainly as an impact substitute.

The Armenian midfielder was eventually used as a makeweight in a swap deal to sign Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal in January 2018.

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#3 Paul Pogba

Paul Pogba

The strained relationship between Paul Pogba and Jose Mourinho was a well documented affair when the two worked together at Manchester United. Mourinho has always been a manager who has preferred hard-working, down-to-earth professionals who are willing to give their all for the team, week in week out.

However, Pogba has always been known for being a flamboyant personality both on and off the pitch. His social media posts and poor form off the pitch resulted in heavy criticism from Jose Mourinho.

Pogba and Mourinho were filmed having a confrontation during a training session, despite the Portuguese's assertion that there was 'no problem' between the two.

The Frenchman was often left on the bench by Jose Mourinho in the next few weeks. That led many to believe that the two had a fractured relationship as tensions increased between Pogba and Mourinho.

A source told The Sun: “Jose called Pogba a virus in front of all the players. He told him, "You are like a person with the flu or a virus in a closed room; you pass that virus to the others. He also told him: ‘You don’t play; you don’t respect players and supporters, and you kill the mentality of good, honest people around you.’”

#2 Luke Shaw

Luke Shaw

Jose Mourinho has at times resorted to publicly criticising his players for getting a positive reaction from them in training or in matches. Luke Shaw was one such player who bore the brunt of constant criticism from the Portuguese manager during at Manchester United.

Mourinho accused Shaw of not working hard enough, being overweight and lacking the defensive discipline required to be a top-quality left-back for Manchester United.

"It was a very hard time a couple of years back when I wasn't playing, when I wasn't even involved," Shaw told BBC Sport.

'I always believed in myself. There were times where maybe people were thinking 'maybe he could leave', but I always believed that one day I would be able to fight my way back into the team and show people what my qualities are. I feel like I am starting to do that now, but there's still more to come. I'm still quite young and have time to improve," said Luke Shaw.

Mourinho would regularly bring Shaw off games, claiming the former Southampton man did not play with 'his brain'.

#1 Dele Alli

Dele Alli

Dele Alli was one of the biggest prospects in the Premier League prior to Jose Mourinho's arrival at Tottenham Hotspur. Alli won the PFA Young Player of the Year award during the 2015-16 and 2016-17 campaigns.

The midfielder was expected to be a key player for Tottenham under Jose Mourinho but was never able to see eye to eye with the Portuguese manager. Alli was often criticised by Mourinho for being lazy in training and not working hard enough for the team during matches.

Alli fell down the pecking order and eventually became a bit-part player under Mourinho and was mainly used in the Cup competitions. He was even linked with a loan move to Real Madrid and PSG to revive his career.