I am often asked if there was one match that persuaded me to quit the Premier League. What follows is as close as I can remember to a moment when I thought: ‘You know what, I don’t give a f*** any more.’ It was Stoke versus Manchester United on January 21, 2017. Wayne Rooney had broken Sir Bobby Charlton’s Manchester United scoring record with a late free-kick for a 1-1 draw. It was not long after full-time when there was a knock at my dressing room door and United manager Jose Mourinho came in. I was just taking my boots off.
‘You must be happy this time,’ I said. ‘You can’t blame me for that draw, can you?’ ‘I can,’ he said. He started going on about a handball in the penalty area by Stoke defender Ryan Shawcross. ‘What you on about?’ I said. ‘I got that right, I know I did.’ ‘No. I’ve seen the video. You were wrong.’ He was going on and on. Shut up man, will you? I picked up my boot and launched it against the wall next to him. ‘F***ing get out of my dressing room. Get out!’ Mourinho froze. I lost it with him. I did not give a s*** any more. He did not know what to say. I was so fed up with all of the ridiculous mind games. I drove home while going over and over the Shawcross incident. I watched it on Match of the Day and I was right, the ball hit him flush on the chest. So why was Mourinho playing funny buggers with me? I went to bed that night and I knew I’d had enough. ‘You know what,’ I thought, ‘I can’t be bothered with idiots like that any more.’
Source: Daily Mail
