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José Mourinho, the newly appointed Real Madrid manager, has shared an extraordinary story on the Beast Mode On Podcast, revealing that he once took a painkiller injection himself to prove a point to one of his injured players. The incident, as he described, left the player calling him “crazy” after still refusing to take the injection.

Mourinho, who has lifted trophies across Portugal, England, Italy, and Spain, is known for demanding total dedication and a ‘win-at-all-costs’ mentality from his players. His approach, coupled with his renowned man-management style, has helped him secure major honours in every country he has managed.

From Porto to Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Manchester United, and Roma, many of football’s biggest stars have embraced Mourinho’s methods and philosophies that consistently deliver results. However, not every player has been willing to push through physical pain for the collective success of the team.

When asked by Adebayo Akinfenwa on the Beast Mode On Podcast how he communicates his expectations to players, Mourinho explained: “When I arrive at a club, right from the start – and it’s the same now – I don’t like to talk too much. I don’t talk about myself and I don’t like to speak a lot. I need to understand the players, and I want them to realise that it’s not about what others say about me, but what they see in me.”

He continued, “It’s not about what I hear from others, whether it’s the media, previous coaches, or anyone else – it’s about my new players. We need to understand each other properly. I always say I don’t perform miracles, but I can help players improve if they are willing to work. Some players can improve; others, it’s simply impossible, and you have to accept them as they are.”

Sharing an example of his management style, Mourinho recounted two memorable stories – one involving former Chelsea captain John Terry and another unnamed player. “Two simple examples – one I’ll name, the other I won’t. John Terry was struggling physically when we were chasing the Premier League title. The night after we won it, he went straight to the clinic for surgery, but only after the title was secured.”

He then described the second case: “I had another player who had a small fracture in his middle toe. The doctor said, ‘No problem, it’s just pain, you can play.’ But the player insisted, ‘I can’t play in pain.’ I told him, ‘Come on, you can play with pain.’ Still, he refused. So I said, ‘Fine, we’ll give you a small anaesthetic injection – you won’t feel pain and can play without any issue.’ But he still said no.”

“So I took off my shoe and sock, put my foot in front of him, and told the doctor, ‘Give me the injection.’ The doctor injected my toe right there. My toe was fine afterwards. Then I told the player, ‘See? You can do it too.’ He just looked at me and said, ‘No, you’re crazy – I’m not crazy.’ He didn’t take the injection. How many matches did he play after that? Almost none!” Mourinho laughed.

The full episode featuring José Mourinho can be watched on the Beast Mode On Podcast’s official YouTube channel, with complete episodes also available on Spotify.

Mourinho appeared on the podcast as part of his collaboration with Coca-Cola, linked to the ‘Jose vs Mourinho’ project, where two AI versions of the legendary coach engage in daily debates about World Cup topics during the tournament.