The Games Which Defined the Rivalry Between Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho
Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho will renew their rivalry when Manchester United and Real Madrid meet in the Champions League last 16 next year.
The two managers have not faced each other since 2009 when Mourinho was in charge of Inter Milan.
But now one of the fiercest managerial rivalries in Europe is set for a reboot with both men chasing Champions League glory.
Mourinho has also been strongly linked as a possible successor to Ferguson when the Scotsman finally steps down at Old Trafford.
Here we look at the matches which have come to define the Ferguson-Mourinho dynamic.
March 2004: Manchester United 1 Porto 1
1 of 5Jose Mourinho announced his presence on the European stage as his team dumped United and Sir Alex Ferguson out of the Champions League at the last-16 round.
A fumble by then Manchester United goalkeeper Tim Howard from Benni McCarthy’s free-kick allowed Francisco Costinha to pounce in the final minute to send Porto on course for their eventual 2004 triumph with a 3-2 aggregate win.
Mourinho’s reaction to the late winner though is the reason the game remains in the mind of most supporters.
As Costinha’s strike hit the back of the net, Mourinho raced down the touchline before sliding on his knees in front of the joyous Porto fans.
August 2004: Chelsea 1 Manchester United 0
2 of 5Jose Mourinho laid down the perfect marker in his first competitive game as Chelsea manager with striker Eidur Gudjohnsen scoring the only goal of the match against Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United in the 15th minute.
The Iceland international hit home after United defender Quinton Fortune was beaten to a clearance by Geremi, whose cross allowed Didier Drogba to head back across goal for Gudjohnsen.
United had been weakened by injuries ahead of the game and Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech was barely troubled.
Chelsea would go on to win the Premier League title 12 points ahead of second-placed Arsenal and United six points further adrift.
November 2005: Manchester United 1 Chelsea 0
3 of 5Darren Fletcher ended Chelsea’s 40-game unbeaten run in the Premier League with a looping first-half header.
The victory also represented Sir Alex Ferguson’s first competitive win over Jose Mourinho as the United manager finally got one over on the Portuguese.
However, Mourinho gained revenge on the pitch as his team claimed a second successive Premier League championship with an eight-point gap on United, helped by a 3-0 demolition of Ferguson’s side in April.
May 2007: Chelsea 1 Manchester United 0 (aet)
4 of 5Jose Mourinho’s final encounter with Sir Alex Ferguson in English football was hardly the most memorable one after an FA Cup final which promised so much but delivered very little.
With the two sides unable to break the deadlock in normal time, Chelsea striker Didier Drogba latched on to Frank Lampard’s return pass to clip the ball past United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar in the 115th minute.
Mourinho's cup triumph also denied Ferguson a fourth domestic Premier League and FA Cup double after United had reclaimed the championship crown from the Stamford Bridge club.
The final was also the first FA Cup final to be played at the new Wembley Stadium, a historic occasion both managers were keen to win.
March 2009: Manchester United 2 Inter Milan 0
5 of 5The most recent clash between Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho came almost four years ago with the United manager claiming the upper hand.
After a goalless draw at the San Siro Stadium in the Champions League last-16 tie, United defender Nemanja Vidic took just four minutes to open the scoring when he headed home a Ryan Giggs cross.
United were not at their best defensively and Inter created tension in the Old Trafford crowd when Zlatan Ibrahimovic hit the bar and Dejan Stankovic missed a glorious first-half opportunity.
However, three minutes after the interval, Cristiano Ronaldo settled the nerves when he headed home Wayne Rooney’s cross.
