)
Part of an exclusive series of articles from José Mourinho, brought to you by Football.com
December, the month of Christmas. For us, Christians, these are days for family suppers, moments of joy for children, times of Peace, Joy, Love and, inevitably, football in some countries. And Boxing Day is the perfect example.
A centuries-old tradition in England, on the day after Christmas, games are played in all English leagues, from the professional Premier to the regional amateur ones.
)
13:58 - 04.12.2023
"Football is a collective game" - Jose Mourinho
Part of an exclusive series of articles from Jose Mourinho, brought to you by Football.com
Families fill the stadiums, and men, women and children make authentic pilgrimages on their way to the pitch. There's always a contagious festive atmosphere surrounding the match, no matter how insignificant it might be or how great the rivalries are. It really is an unforgettable day.
Jose Mourinho opens up on his Boxing Day memories
I experienced it many times, I think nine if memory serves. I won six of these "Christmas" matches - four for Chelsea, one for United and one for Tottenham - and the other three ended in a draw, making me the manager with the most wins in these games played on 26th December.
I was the "king of Boxing Day", wrote the English press. An exaggeration, of course, but it demonstrates the importance of the games played on that day. They were always keenly-contested, vibrant, emotional matches, with very balanced final results, and some of them were very difficult to win.
)
And of all the games, there's one that was very special to me and very sad as well - in 2019, when I was at Tottenham, I drew with Burnley (2-2). And it was sad not because of the result, but because on the day before, on Christmas Day, our Yorkshire Terrier died. Leya had been with us since she was very small, she was already part of our family and her disappearance shook us deeply. But... off I went to train because we had to play the next day and my sadness was somehow mitigated by seeing the happiness of all those families that filled Old Trafford.
)
Recently, despite the fact that everyone recognises the importance of maintaining this tradition, there have been those who have strongly criticised the imposition for teams to get on the pitch on 26 December, because the overload of matches is enormous, especially for teams involved not only in national competitions, but also in international ones.
It's really complicated to manage a group in situations like this, not least because not everyone is Christian and even among them not everyone celebrates the date, but personally I've always felt that our role, as professionals, was to maintain this tradition and give people, families, what they like. And my players have always understood this attitude.
Playing on Boxing Day requires sacrifice but it's magical
)
Does it require any sacrifice? Yes, but it's a magical day and our families understand and accept that their relatives leave home on Christmas Day to train and play, instead of sitting by the fire with their loved ones. Deep down, they understand that we, coaches, players and all the other elements that make up a football team, are working to provide a different day for other families, especially the children who, with their scarves around their necks, will have the privilege of watching their idols play football.
We, coaches, don't always have an easy job. These days are "dangerous" for maintaining our players' physical condition, because there are so many food temptations at Christmas time. There are lots of delicacies, the kind that are absolutely irresistible, lots of sweets, lots of celebrations and little rest.
)
But it's also true that more and more professionals are aware of what they can and can't do and follow the recommendations given to them. But not everyone is able to resist temptation, but even those end up being forgiven.
Finding a balance in this kind of situation is tricky, but it's all forgotten when you get on the pitch and see so many happy people. And then, on the pitch, for 90 minutes, we all forget that it's Christmas. What we're looking for is to score goals, to win the game and get points. And when we do that, we're giving presents to all the fans of our teams.
Jose Mourinho is the ambassador for Football.com.
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)