7 players who played under both Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola

#6 Maxwell

Maxwell spent three seasons at Inter and Barcelona respectively

Once upon a time in football, full-backs used to defend. Then came the age when they defended first and attacked as and when required. Then came the age when things flipped, and became vice-versa. Maxwell was unfortunate to have been born in this era. Hardly the marauding, all action auxiliary winger kind of full-back that we are used to seeing, Maxwell was a centre half dressed in a fullback’s garb.

And then, Mourinho came. He realized the attacking potential of the Brazilian, who was blessed with blistering pace and a thunderous left foot. Before long, he had also become a true, modern fullback. And this is precisely what made Barcelona sign him a year later. A reasonable success at Camp Nou under Pep Guardiola, the defender was primarily an understudy to the magnificent Eric Abidal, shining whenever he got the chance to.

Having played at Ajax, Inter Milan, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, Maxwell is a journeyman who has learned different things from each of the four European Leagues he’s been a part of. But nothing would have skewed his learning curve upward as much as his days under the two brilliant, legendary polar opposites.