Former Dutch football star Wesley Sneijder recently characterized legendary coach José Mourinho as a “father” figure, highlighting a compassionate leadership style often overshadowed by his formidable public persona.
Sneijder, who played under Mourinho at Inter Milan, said he chose “father” to describe the Portuguese coach in an interview with Spanish sports daily Marca. He preferred this over Mourinho’s famous “Special One” moniker, which Sneijder acknowledged was also accurate.
The 41-year-old midfielder recounted a specific incident from the 2009-2010 season that solidified his view of Mourinho. Six months into the season, Mourinho summoned Sneijder to his office on a Monday morning.
Mourinho observed that Sneijder appeared tired, despite the player insisting he felt well and that the team was performing strongly. “No, I see you’re a bit tired,” Mourinho insisted.
Mourinho then instructed Sneijder to visit his son, who lived in the Netherlands. Sneijder initially resisted, wanting to be available for the upcoming weekend game.
Mourinho outlined the plan: “You go and come back Thursday night. On Friday you train and on Saturday we have the game.” When Sneijder questioned only having one training session, Mourinho simply replied, “Exactly.”
Sneijder said the gesture moved him deeply. “As soon as I went to the Netherlands, I felt he was really like a father,” he recalled, adding, “I just thought: ‘He did all this for me…’. I don’t know if any coach would do the same.”
The former international stated that Mourinho extended this “fatherly” role to all his players, not just him. He also noted that Mourinho’s method of convincing him to join Inter was “very special.”