Former Ghana midfielder Sulley Muntari has shared the story of how a phone call from Jose Mourinho led him to join Serie A giants Inter Milan.
Muntari made the move to Inter in 2008 after impressing with Portsmouth in the English Premier League.
Under manager Harry Redknapp, he played a pivotal role in winning the FA Cup in his final season at the club.
In July 2008, Muntari joined Inter, and under Mourinho’s leadership, he became a key figure in the team.
Reflecting on the transfer in an interview with Flashscore, Muntari recalled Mourinho’s direct approach.
“Mourinho was in Ghana in 2008 during the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations. I was also with Portsmouth at that time so we played with his Chelsea side and we were good. After the African Cup, during pre-season for my second season, my agent called me and said, ‘Maybe, maybe, maybe Inter Milan will call you’.
“During training, I put in some really nice crosses and Redknapp said while laughing, ‘That’s amazing. That’s excellent. That’s why the top teams like Inter want to buy you.’ So when I got home, the same day I got a call from Jose and he said, ‘You want to come play for me?’ I said yes sir. He replied, ‘I’ll see you in Milan tomorrow’. He just put the phone down. That’s it, then I signed for Inter the next day. The rest was history.”
In his first season with Inter, Muntari won the Serie A title, and he played a vital role in the club’s historic treble-winning campaign in 2009/10, securing the Serie A, Coppa Italia, and UEFA Champions League trophies.