Jose Mourinho reveals cheeky way he got ex-Man Utd star Scott McTominay’s shirt after Benfica’s win over Napoli
JOSE MOURINHO revealed how he snagged Scott McTominay’s shirt after his Benfica side beat Napoli on Wednesday.
Mourinho’s Benfica defeated the Italian visitors 2-0 in their Champions League clash thanks to goals from Richard Rios and Leandro Barreiro.
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Jose Mourinho revealed why he managed to get Scott McTominay’s shirt after his Benfica played NapoliCredit: Record
McTominay was handed his first Manchester United minutes by MourinhoCredit: Alamy
And ‘The Special One’, 62, still has his penchant for press conference antics it seems, confusing journalists when he appeared with a mysterious bag after the game.
One curious voice in the room joked: “I noticed you have a bag. Is it a present to one of the journalists?”
But the Portuguese boss’ answer was even funnier, as he revealed that the bag actually contained the shirt of his former Manchester United star McTominay.
He fired back: “It’s McTominay’s shirt. I put him in, I benched Paul Pogba for him. The least he could do was give me his shirt.”
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McTominay, 29, played under Mourinho for almost two seasons at United.
After joining the Red Devils’ youth system at the age of five, McTominay was finally handed his debut in a 2-0 loss to Arsenal in May 2017.
The then-21-year-old was brought off the bench for Juan Mata, and would be handed his first start weeks later in a win over Crystal Palace.
He would finally break into the first team as a regular starter in the second half of the 2017/18 season under Mourinho, having to fight the likes of Pogba, Michael Carrick and Mata for his spot in the team.
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Despite Mourinho’s sacking in late 2018, McTominay would go on to make over 250 appearances for the north-west outfit.
His career at the club stalled ahead of the 2024 summer window, when he found a new lease of life by making the move to Serie A giants Napoli.
McTominay and Mourinho worked together at Manchester UnitedCredit: AFP
The imposing midfielder helped Gli Azzurri reclaim the Scudetto, and propelled himself all the way to 18th in the 2025 Ballon d’Or rankings.
Mourinho can take at least a bit of credit for getting his career off the ground almost a decade ago, and his contributions extend even further, beyond the club stage alone.
Born in Lancaster, McTominay’s international future was at one point undecided between England and Scotland, for whom he qualifies through his father.
But then-Scotland boss Alex McLeish was spurred into action to visit the young star by Mourinho, who invited him to approach his player after Gareth Southgate was slow to induct him into the England setup.
He then hosted a conversation between McLeish and McTominay in Manchester, which led to him committing his future to the Tartan Army in 2018.
McTominay is now arguably Scotland’s most important player, and was certainly the hero when he scored a sensational bicycle kick in the match which decided their place at the 2026 World Cup in November.
