Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has shed light on a memorable incident involving Jose Mourinho and Mohamed Salah during their time at Stamford Bridge, describing how the manager’s tough love once reduced the Egyptian star to tears.
Speaking on the That Peter Crouch Podcast, Mikel praised Mourinho as both a “fantastic coach” and an “amazing human being,” but admitted that the Portuguese tactician sometimes pushed players too far, especially the younger ones.
“Did he cross the line sometimes? Of course he did,” Mikel said. “But it was just his way of trying to get the best out of players.”
Mikel recounted a specific incident during a 2014 Premier League clash against Norwich City, where Mourinho harshly criticised Salah during the half-time break, leading the young winger to burst into tears. Mourinho then immediately substituted him, compounding the blow.
“He did that with Mo Salah… and Mo started crying, and he took him off,” Mikel revealed. “Sometimes you have a go and let the player fix the mistake, but he told Mo, ‘You’re not going back in.’ It’s a double whammy.”
Salah’s Chelsea career failed to take off, but he later rose to global stardom at Liverpool, becoming one of the world’s top forwards.
Despite the incident, Mikel defended Mourinho’s overall methods, saying they reflected the football culture of that era and were aimed at extracting maximum performance from his squad.
