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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Marcus Banks

Arsene Wenger's damning verdict of Jose Mourinho after their very first meeting

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger branded ex-Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho "stupid" following their very first meeting, which kick started a long feud between the two tacticians.

The two manages came face-to-face for the first time in December 2004 at Highbury. The match ended 2-2 with Thierry Henry scoring a brace and goals from John Terry and Eidur Gudjohnsen.

Wenger had previously labelled the Portuguese as a "chequebook manager", a dig at Roman Abramovich's seemingly infinite transfer funds at the club.

The Frenchman continued to let his feelings be known after the game in north London, claiming that Mourinho's previous success - winning the Champions League with Porto - had gone to his head.

"He's out of order, disconnected with reality and disrespectful. When you give success to stupid people, it makes them more stupid sometimes and not more intelligent," Wenger said.

Mourinho returned to England for a second spell with Chelsea before taking the reigns at Manchester United in 2016.

The pair faced each other 19 times over the last 14 years with the Portuguese holding the better record. Mourinho emerged victorious ten times compared to Wenger's two.

Despite their chequered history, both men have worked on the pundit's desk together for various Premier League games this season.

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