Jose Mourinho knows a thing or two about winning the Champions League, having won Europe’s club competition twice.
And the Portuguese manager has warned Jurgen Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino they must follow suit if they want to be regarded as top managers.
Klopp’s Liverpool side will meet Pochettino’s Tottenham outfit in the final next month after an extraordinary week of semi-final encounters.
The Reds mounted a remarkable comeback against Barcelona on Tuesday night to overturn a 3-0 first-leg deficit, winning 4-0 on the night to secure a 4-3 aggregate victory.
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And Spurs pulled off a similar feat on Wednesday evening, having gone into half-time losing 3-0 at Ajax but a stunning second-half hat-trick from Lucas Moura secured a memorable away-goals victory.
This final represents an opportunity for Klopp and Pochettino to win their first piece of silverware at their respective clubs - and Mourinho has issued a rallying cry to both managers.
“I prefer to lose a final than to lose a semi-final,” he told Bein Sports.
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"Because you are more successful losing the final than losing the semi-final. It is better to be the runner-up than be out in quarters or semis.
"You want to do the best possible. But when you are almost there, you don't want to be the King of almosts.
"You don't want to end your career, CV - almost 20 times.”
Mourinho is currently without a job, having been sacked by Manchester United last December, but was recently linked with a shock switch to Celtic.
