Mourinho's Striking Record 9 Jun 2017 16:17

As José Mourinho’s search for a new striker continues, we look at how the other strikers he introduced to his teams over the years worked out for him.

By Philip Meese, Chief Editor

As the Manchester United have announced that Zlatan Ibrahimovi? is on his way out of Old Trafford, José Mourinho now has to spend the summer looking for a new striker. Finding someone to replace a man who has scored 28 goals for you is no mean feat, especially as traditional centre-forwards seem to be getting fazed out of the modern game.

False number nines and second strikers seem to be all the rage these days, which would seem to limit Mourinho’s options when adding to his front line. The good news for United fans, however, is that the Portuguese manager usually gets it right when picking the men he wants to lead his attack. Below is the list of all the strikers Mourinho has recruited during his managerial career.

Edgaras Jankauskas

The Lithuanian striker was bought by Mourinho in the summer of 2002, as he began his first full season as Porto manager. With an average of a goal every three games, he became a crucial player under Mourinho, although he was an unused substitute during the 2004 Champions League Final.

Although he didn’t set the world alight during his later career, it’s fair to say that he justified the £2 million Mourinho invested in him. Under the Portuguese manager, Jankauskas won two Primeria Liga titles, the Taça de Portugal and the UEFA Cup, in addition to a Champions League medal.

Verdict: Hit

Benni McCarthy

 A familiar name to fans of Blackburn Rovers and West Ham United, the South African hitman was a big success under Mourinho. Initially brought in loan during Mourinho’s first six months at Porto, he responded by scoring 12 goals in eleven games to secure a UEFA Cup place. He returned to his parent club, Celta Vigo, and spent a frustrating year back in La Liga, before Porto bought him permanently in a £7.8 million transfer in 2003.

McCarthy scored 24 goals in all competitions during the 2003-04 season, as Porto won a double of Primeira Liga and Champions League. Although he was on the bench for the final, he scored four goals in Europe to help get them there. Following Mourinho’s departure, McCarthy only scored a further four goals for the club, moving to Blackburn in 2006 where scored 18 Premier League goals in his first season.

Verdict: Hit

Derlei

This Brazilian striker turned out be a bargain signing, who Mourinho brought to Porto from his previous club União Leiria for the princely sum of £380,000. He scored 36 goals in 67 games for his mentor including two in the 2003 UEFA Cup Final against Celtic. He also started the Champions League Final, ahead of Benni McCarthy.

When Mourinho left for Chelsea, Derlei did not score another goal for Porto, and in January 2005 he was sold to Dynamo Moscow for £7 million. Although he was an initial success in Russia, disciplinary problems followed him for the rest of his career, which petered out in his early thirties.

Verdict: Hit

Mateja Kežman

In the summer of 2004, most European clubs were tracking Mateja Kežman. The Serbian had hit 105 goals in 122 league games for PSV Eindhoven, and £5.3 million seemed like a bargain considering what Manchester United had paid for Ruud van Nistelrooy, a man with a similar record, from the same club three years earlier.

Kežman turned out to be one of those signings that seemed like a no-brainer, but ultimately didn’t work out. He scored just seven goals in his one season at Chelsea, and was soon on his way to Atlético Madrid. He later took in spells at Fenerbahçe and Paris Saint-Germain, but he never managed to replicate the devastating form he showed at PSV. He retired in 2012 following spells in Bulgaria and China.

Verdict: Miss

Didier Drogba

The other striker Mourinho signed in his first season as Chelsea manager could have worked out more differently. After terrorising Newcastle in the UEFA Cup, Chelsea paid £24 million to Marseille for his services in 2004. Drogba went on to become legend at Stamford Bridge over two spells, scoring 164 goals in total. His first spell ended by scoring in the 2012 Champions League Final, and then hitting the deciding penalty kick that won the trophy for the Blues.

Following a spell with Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua, he played for Turkish giants Galatasaray for a season before Mourinho asked him back to his spiritual home. He scored some important goals as Chelsea won the 2014-15 Premier League title, before moving to the MLS with Montreal Impact. At the time of writing, Drogba is still playing, currently with Phoenix Rising from the second tier of the American soccer leagues.

Verdict: Hit

Andriy Shevchenko

In some ways, it’s probably a bit unfair to add the Ukrainian striker to Mourinho’s list of misses, as it is no secret that the Portuguese manager never really wanted him. In 2006, Shevchenko was one of the hottest strikers in Europe after seven glorious years with AC Milan. Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich made clear the fact that he was a personal friend of the player.

Mourinho had a system at Chelsea, one that suited Didier Drobga perfectly, but definitely not Shevchenko. Despite scoring a couple of goals in his first few appearances, a drought soon followed, and did not end even when Mourinho parted company with Chelsea in 2007. A good example of this is that he was an unused substitute in the 2008 Champions League Final defeat to United. He was loaned back to Milan for the 2008-09 season, but it was clear that he was no longer the same player, and he scored just twice all season.

He returned to Stamford Bridge, but Milan boss Carlo Ancelotti followed him, and made it clear Shevchenko did not feature in his plans. In August 2009, he rejoined Dynamo Kiev, where he rediscovered his goalscoring touch, and remained there until retirement in 2012.

Verdict: Miss

Salomon Kalou

While Andriy Shevchenko and Michael Ballack were the Chelsea signings who made the headlines in the summer of 2006, the other striker Mourinho brought to the club went almost unnoticed. The young Ivory Coast striker was just 20 years old when he made a £9 million move from Feyenoord, but he outlasted his fellow signings and his manager at Stamford Bridge.

While not always used as a centre forward, this was the position where he made his name. Kalou was not an out and out goalscorer, but had a habit of popping up with vital goals just when his club needed them. Throughout his six years at the club, he averaged around ten goals a season. He completed the set of all three domestic trophies, and his last game for Chelsea was when they won the Champions League in 2012. He was released at the end of his contract, joining Ligue 1 side Lille. Today, aged 31, he plays in Germany for Hertha BSC.

Verdict: Hit

Samuel Eto’o

During the summer of 2009, European champions Barcelona came calling for Inter star man Zlatan Ibrahimovi?. They paid €46 million, and Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o came as part of the package. Mourinho had shown interest in Eto’o when he had been in charge of Chelsea, and knew exactly how to fit him into his side. Eto’o had won the Champions League twice with the Catalan giants, scoring in both finals. In 2010 he won the trophy again as part of Mourinho’s side that also won Serie A and the Coppa Italia, to secure a unique treble. He scored 53 goals in his two years at Inter, before moving to Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala.

When Mourinho returned to Chelsea in 2013, he signed Eto’o again on a one year contract. Although he was released at the end of that season, he still scored 12 goals in 35 games at Stamford Bridge. It’s fair to say that both Eto’o’s spells under the Portguese manager were a success.

Verdict: Hit

Diego Milito

Mourinho decided that the loss of Ibrahimovi? required two strikers to replace him. In addition to Samuel Eto’o, he spent €28 million on Argentine striker Diego Milito from Genoa. In his one season under the Portuguese manager, Milito scored 30 goals, including two in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich.

Milito spent a total of five years at the San Siro, scoring 75 goals in total. He retired in 2016 following a two year spell in his homeland with Racing Club, where he started his career.

Verdict: Hit

Emmanuel Adebayor

Such was the embarrassment of attacking options at Real Madrid’s disposal, Mourinho only brought one striker to the club during his three year spell at the Bernabéu, and even that was a loan signing. Togo striker Adebayor had found his options at Manchester City limited following the arrivals of Edin Džeko and Mario Balotelli.

It was something of a surprise when Mourinho expressed an interest, and took him on loan for the second half of the 2010-11 season. Adebayor’s time in Madrid was quite successful, scoring eight goals and winning the Copa del Rey. Despite being a short-term hit, the move was not made permanent, and he joined Tottenham.

Verdict: Hit

Álvaro Morata

A striker who has been constantly linked with a move to Old Trafford this summer, and was given his professional debut by his potential United boss in 2010. A product of Real Madrid’s youth system, he was introduced to the team by Mourinho, although used sparingly at first. It was during 2012-13, Mourinho’s last season at the Bernabéu, that he became a regular.

When Carlo Ancelotti took over in the summer of 2013, Morata became a Champions League winner the following year. He was still not an automatic choice, however, which led Juventus to sign him. In 2015, Morata played in his second successive Champions League final, only this time he started the game, and scored against Barcelona in the Turin side’s 3-1 defeat. When selling him to Juventus, Madrid insisted on a buy-back clause, which they activated last summer.

Verdict: Hit

Diego Costa

Love him or hate him, you cannot deny the effectiveness of the Spain striker. Brought in to lead the line in Mourinho’s new look attack, he cost £32 million from Atlético Madrid. Costa scored 21 goals in 2014-15 to ensure that the Premier League title returned to Stamford Bridge after a five year absence. He suffered a dip in form in his second season, as did his team, which ensured that Mourinho was fired by Chelsea for the second time in December 2016.

When Antonio Conte took over last summer, both Costa and Chelsea returned to title winning form. The striker bagged another 21 goal haul as the Premier League trophy returned to West London. Although it seems his time in England is coming to a close, two titles in three years is success by anyone’s standards.

Verdict: Hit

Loïc Rémy

When Mourinho signed Costa, he also signed another striker for a fraction of the price, similar to when he signed Drogba and Kežman. This time, the budget forward was French striker Loïc Rémy, brought in from Queens Park Rangers for £10.5 million.

Although he has scored some important goals, Rémy has been little more than a bit part player at Stamford Bridge. Since his move there in 2014, he has yet to make 50 appearances, scoring 12 goals in total. He spent time on loan at Crystal Palace last season, but injured his knee following eight goalless appearances. Hs time at Chelsea seems to be coming to an end, having barely made a ripple.

Verdict: Miss

Zlatan Ibrahimovi?

Possibly the biggest bargain Mourinho has ever signed. A football legend following spells at Barcelona, Juventus and both Milan clubs, he arrived at Manchester United following the end of his contract with Paris Saint-Germain.

The Swedish striker scored on his debut in the Community Shield and became their main source of goals last season. He netted twice in the 2017 EFL Cup Final to secure Mourinho’s first major trophy as United manager. A knee ligament injury ended his season in April, meaning he missed the Europa League final win over Ajax. By this time, he had scored 28 goals from 46 games. This would be impressive for anyone in their first season in England, but to do it at the ripe old age of 35 can only be classed as an undisputed success.

Verdict: Hit

Conclusion

Out of 14 strikers Mourinho has introduced into his teams during his managerial career, only three of them have actually flopped. When you consider that two of them, Kežman and Rémy, were merely back up strikers, and that Shevchenko was pretty much forced upon him, it makes for impressive reading. It seems that Mourinho knows a good striker when he sees one and, more importantly, how to integrate them into his team.

There are a few strikers on this list, mainly signed in his earlier career, who weren’t world beaters by any stretch of the imagination. This, however, did not prevent Mourinho into turning them into players who won him trophies. It is also worth noting that, during his time at Madrid, he didn’t buy any big name strikers. This is probably because he knew that what he already had at his disposal was good enough to do the job. Given that, in Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona, he faced one of the best opponents ever, to wrest the La Liga title from such a team shows that his faith was justified.

 

With the above in mind, whoever Manchester United recruit to lead their forward line for next season, Mourinho’s record is such that the fans should trust him to get it right. The evidence suggests that he usually does.