Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor has hailed Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho, describing the Portuguese as an “extraordinary” person.
The Togo international, who is current representing his country at the Africa Cup of Nations, worked under the 50-year-old during a half-season loan spell in the Spanish capital in 2011.
And Adebayor believes Mourinho is a class apart from the numerous managers he has worked alongside throughout his career.
“Mourinho is extraordinary. I worked with Wenger, Deschamps, Mancini, great managers, but a guy like him, I never knew that,” he told L’Equipe.
“It happens in the locker room, if you dress poorly, he takes your business to put in the office. He mocks you for days, then he may pay you to drink.
“And then you think it is now your best friend, but if you make a mistake, he’ll kill you!”
The former Monaco forward also revealed that the Setubal-born boss does not let his players rest on their laurels.
“Once I was elected man of the match and Ronaldo scored, I think. He called me and said ‘Manu, you were amazing, I’m happy for you’,” he said.
“I am full of confidence, I take the ball, I juggle when he wanted us to run. Boom! I feel like a child. He killed me in front of everybody.
“In the afternoon he called me ‘How are you?’ ‘Well, okay …’ ‘You did a great match but yesterday was yesterday and tomorrow will be another game.’ He learn me culture wins, a draw does not exist for him.”