It isn't like he needed to, but when Inter Milan snuffed out Chelsea this week in the Champions League, Jose Mourinho punched his ticket to go anywhere he wanted.
Well, except maybe to Chelsea, where having eliminated his former team, Mourinho infuriated former boss Roman Abramovich to new heights. That's quite a feat, considering many believed that was impossible.
"I know that Roman is a very intelligent person. And because of this he is not the same person he was one year, three years or five years ago," Mourinho said after his win.
"Probably when he arrived in football he thought it would be easier to do it. It is not easy. The team that wins will have small details that make the difference.
"Roman knows very well how to read, understand and analyze the game. For sure he knows his team lost to a team that deserved to win. Because he is a man of fair play, I am sure he accepts that."
Dig, dig.
But leave it to Mourinho to continue to do everything out of the ordinary.
He has now topped the list as the most polarizing figure in world soccer.
The Special One, as he is known, proved once again that as a manager, he is special.
He has taken an Inter team that has been inconsistent in Serie A the last two months and guided it to the Champions League quarterfinals. In the second leg at Stamford Bridge, he outcoached Carlo Ancelotti, a pretty good manager in his own right. He put Ancelotti on the doorstep of having to seek new employment if he fails to win the English Premier League title.
Mourinho has won titles with several teams in several countries. He has been called Mouthinho, the Arrogant One. But he has also produced. He won five trophies in three years at Chelsea.
It isn't bragging if you can back it up.
There is method in his madness. He is so often the focus of the media, it takes the focus off his players.
He has a good shot at advancing to the Champions League semifinals. Inter drew CSKA Moscow in the quarterfinals and while Moscow is not an easy place to play, it is the best draw Inter could have hoped for.
You either love him or hate him. Respect him or despise his arrogance.
Unlike other sports in which coaches are muted, almost businesslike, soccer produces rock star coaches who, rather than hide, prefer to bask in all the glory; rather than avoid controversy, seek it; and rather than uphold tradition, prefer to profane it.
Tradition would have demanded that after Inter's win over Chelsea, Mourinho would have merely basked in the adulation and let his team revel in its accomplishment. But he ignited yet another cauldron of controversy. He confirmed that even though he had three years remaining on a contract, he could walk away whenever he wanted. It would take a buyout, but there are a lot of big-money teams that wouldn't hesitate to come up with the cash.
With teams like Real Madrid, Chelsea, Liverpool and others looking for a coach, imagine how that sent journalists scurrying.
The growing legend that is Jose Mourinho added another chapter with the win at Chelsea.
It will grow again when Inter advances to the Champions League semifinals, and even more when he leaves Inter for Real Madrid after this season.
He's going to do it because he truly believes he is the Special One and he can do anything. That includes handling a situation in Real Madrid that so many others have not been able to.
Looking at his history, who can argue with him?
Morris Dalla Costa is a Free Press sports columnist.
E-mail morris.dallacosta@sunmedia.ca
