Passionate outbursts and celebrations are almost guaranteed when Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho lock horns.
And an FA Cup quarter-final clash in March 2017 saw fury unfold on the touchline, igniting a feud that lasted years.
GettyMourinho and Conte ended up in each other’s faces before a war of words erupted[/caption]
The managerial duo both say it like it is, and aren’t afraid to express their emotions on and off the pitch.
Conte and Mourinho first duelled in 2009 when they were at Atalanta and Inter Milan respectively.
But seven years later when the former joined Chelsea as head coach, where his counterpart had previously managed with great success, things started to get spicy.
A 4-0 Premier League victory over Manchester United gave Conte the perfect start in the Premier League against Mourinho.
And after the win, the Portuguese appear to have a word with the Italian over his celebrations, and his arm-waving as he attempted to get the Stamford Bridge crowd louder.
Mourinho would later claim the scenes were ‘humiliating’, and this was just the start of their verbal exchanges.
Five months later, the wounds hadn’t fully healed.
Chelsea hosted Man United in 2016/17 FA Cup quarter-finals and won 1-0 thanks to N’Golo Kante’s well-struck effort from range.
Meanwhile, Ander Herrera was sent off after just 34 minutes for United after two yellow card offences on Eden Hazard.
But the real drama was on the touchline as Conte raged at a smirking Mourinho, spitting with fury about the actions of the Spaniard, clearly unhappy the Belgian had been targeted.
GettyConte was furious with Mourinho who had been seen laughing at the brandishing of the red card[/caption]
GettyConte was held back while fourth official Mike Jones separated the pair[/caption]
https://twitter.com/garistengah_id/status/1559050961154625536/video/1
“I don’t speak,” Mourinho said when asked about the decision from referee Michael Oliver.
Barbs continued to be traded between the pair with Conte criticising Manchester United’s £150million summer spending ahead of their next match.
And in July 2017, after winning the Premier League title, the Italian once again aimed a shot at his Portuguese rival.
He said: “Two years ago Chelsea finished 10th. That cannot happen again. We know the difficulty and for sure we want to avoid the Mourinho season with Chelsea.
“The coaches of the previous two champions [Chelsea and Leicester] both lost their jobs [the next season] and we are working very well to find the best solutions and use them.”
As you would imagine, Mourinho didn’t take that lying down, aiming a sneaky jab at Conte over his hair transplant.
Asked what his response was he replied: “I don’t know. I could answer in many different ways but I’m not going to lose my hair to speak about Antonio Conte.”
The tit-for-tat comments were unrelenting with Mourinho accusing his rival of ‘crying’ about injuries.
In January 2018 it took it’s biggest turn with the Portuguese taking issue with Conte acting ‘crazy’ on the touchline, labelling managers who do it ‘clowns’.
The Italian couldn’t help but react.
He responded: “I think he has to see himself in the past – maybe he was speaking about himself in the past. Maybe, sometimes, I think that someone forgets what’s said in the past, which is his behaviour.
“Sometimes I think there is, I don’t know the name, but demenza senile (senile dementia)… when you forget what you do in the past.”
AFP or licensorsMourinho and Conte had several clashes in and out of the dugout[/caption]
Swiftly a club spokesperson confirmed that Conte had meant to say amnesia.
Mourinho then alluded to Conte’s four-month suspension at Juventus for his failure to report match-fixing with his former club Siena.
The ban was enforced during the first half of the 2012/13 season and he was cleared of wrongdoing four years later.
Mourinho said: “What never happened to me, and will never happen, is to be suspended for match-fixing.
“That never happened to me and will never happen.”
But Conte fought back: “I think when there are these types of comments, comments where you try to offend the person and don’t know the truth, then you are a little man.”
“It’s true I was banned for four months by the sporting justice for failure to report,” he added.
“Then I asked for a retrial by court and then they declared it nonsense. Before you make these kind of comments you must pay great attention, because you show you are a little man.
“In the past he was a little man in many circumstances, he’s a little man in the present and for sure he will be a little man in the future.
“I consider him a little man and I consider him a man with a very low profile.”
The 2018 FA Cup final remains the last time they shared the touchline and it was the Blues who came out on top for silverware at Wembley.
Before the match, Conte brushed his and Mourinho’s past and said he would shake his hand ahead of kick-off.
They did just that and then embraced at the full-time whistle, which may have ended a verbal battle that has remained dormant since.
Seven years on, both managers work outside of English football but have stayed in Europe as they eye more success in their careers.
Conte left Chelsea after the FA Cup triumph before joining Inter Milan to win the Serie A title in 2021.
He then returned to the Premier League with Tottenham but faced a dramatic exit after just under year-and-a-half, and is now at Napoli.
Mourinho left United in the same year Conte departed Chelsea and he also endured a difficult spell at their London rivals Spurs.
Roma came calling in 2021 and he delivered UEFA Conference League glory, though the legend currently sits in the Fenerbahce hotseat.
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