José Mourinho reveals he took pain-killing injection to prove a point to player

José Mourinho has once again highlighted the extreme measures he is willing to take to ensure total commitment from his squad. Speaking on the Beast Mode On Podcast, the Portuguese coach shared a story about a time he was desperate for a player to feature despite a minor injury.

The player in question had a small fracture in his toe and was hesitant to play, despite medical advice that an anesthetic injection would eliminate the pain without long-term consequences. When the player insisted he could not play through the discomfort, Mourinho decided to demonstrate that it was manageable.

I took my shoe off, I took my socks off, I put my foot in front of his face and I told the doctor: 'Give me the injection'. And the doctor gave me the injection on my toe. My toe was perfect. And then I said to the player: 'Come on, you can also do it'. And he told me: 'No, you are crazy - you are crazy, I'm not crazy'. José Mourinho

Mourinho noted that the player did not take the injection and, according to the manager, played almost no further matches under his leadership. The coach emphasized that while he cannot perform miracles, he demands a certain mindset from those who want to improve, even if some players are not prepared to push themselves to the same limits.