Barcelona legend Johan Cruyff on Wednesday blasted Jose Mourinho for the Real Madrid coach's self-branded "the Only One" moniker.
"As a player he was not up to much and now he is able to do something," Cruyff told the Spanish TV station, La Sexta. "How do you make sense of some calling themselves 'the only one?' It is good to put that name on a jersey, but nothing more. I do not like that sort of behavior."
Cruyff, the former Barcelona coach, won three Ballon d'Or awards during his own playing career. Barcelona, with new coach Tito Vilanova in charge, meets Mourinho's Real Madrid Thursday in the first leg of the Spanish Supercopa at Camp Nou (ESPN3, ESPN Deportes, 4:30 p.m. ET).
On Wednesday, Mourinho said he is more concerned with the entire season than this one match. "I think it's a game that will have little effect [on the season]," said Mourinho. "If I could choose, I'd choose what happened last year where we lost the Super Cup and won the league. If losing is a motivation for winning the league, I'd sign off on it now."
Mourinho, who has been known as 'the Special One' after using the phrase in his first press conference as Chelsea manager in 2004, recently claimed he deserved a new nickname after coaching teams to the English, Italian and Spanish league titles.
Last month, Barcelona coach Vilanova said he has no bad feelings toward Mourinho after their famous confrontation at last season's Supercopa. Mourinho poked the then-Barca assistant in the eye post match and Vilanova retaliated by slapping Mourinho.
"This isn't about Pep (then-Barca coach Guardiola) or Tito, this is about [playing] Barca and that's how we're approaching it," said Mourinho.
Cruyff, whose own term as coach of the Catalan giants brought four consecutive La Liga titles and the 1992 European Cup, feels it will take time to see how Vilanova gets on in the job. "He must show his worth when times are bad," Cruyff said. "We must wait to make a decision. It is not the same as being in the background with Pep Guardiola in front. That is something different."
Real Madrid will play Thursday without the services of Pepe, who is recovering from a possible concussion following a collision last week with Iker Casillas. Kaka, Ricardo Carvalho and Nuri Sahin, all part of transfer talks, are also not in the lineup.
"As a player he was not up to much and now he is able to do something," Cruyff told the Spanish TV station, La Sexta. "How do you make sense of some calling themselves 'the only one?' It is good to put that name on a jersey, but nothing more. I do not like that sort of behavior."
Cruyff, the former Barcelona coach, won three Ballon d'Or awards during his own playing career. Barcelona, with new coach Tito Vilanova in charge, meets Mourinho's Real Madrid Thursday in the first leg of the Spanish Supercopa at Camp Nou (ESPN3, ESPN Deportes, 4:30 p.m. ET).
On Wednesday, Mourinho said he is more concerned with the entire season than this one match. "I think it's a game that will have little effect [on the season]," said Mourinho. "If I could choose, I'd choose what happened last year where we lost the Super Cup and won the league. If losing is a motivation for winning the league, I'd sign off on it now."
Mourinho, who has been known as 'the Special One' after using the phrase in his first press conference as Chelsea manager in 2004, recently claimed he deserved a new nickname after coaching teams to the English, Italian and Spanish league titles.
Last month, Barcelona coach Vilanova said he has no bad feelings toward Mourinho after their famous confrontation at last season's Supercopa. Mourinho poked the then-Barca assistant in the eye post match and Vilanova retaliated by slapping Mourinho.
"This isn't about Pep (then-Barca coach Guardiola) or Tito, this is about [playing] Barca and that's how we're approaching it," said Mourinho.
Cruyff, whose own term as coach of the Catalan giants brought four consecutive La Liga titles and the 1992 European Cup, feels it will take time to see how Vilanova gets on in the job. "He must show his worth when times are bad," Cruyff said. "We must wait to make a decision. It is not the same as being in the background with Pep Guardiola in front. That is something different."
Real Madrid will play Thursday without the services of Pepe, who is recovering from a possible concussion following a collision last week with Iker Casillas. Kaka, Ricardo Carvalho and Nuri Sahin, all part of transfer talks, are also not in the lineup.
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