Eric Bailly Recounts the Hilarious Jose Mourinho Phone Call that Made Him Join Man United

• Eric Bailly recently joined Villareal after leaving Turkish side Besiktas
• The Ivory Coast international recounted his first offer to join Manchester United
• It all took place from a phone call from Jose Mourinho in 2016

Eric Bailly could hardly believe it when he got the call from Jose Mourinho on whether he was interested in joining Manchester United.

The centre-back was Mourinho’s first signing when the Portuguese tactician took over the reins at Old Trafford from Louis Van Gaal in 2016.

At the time, United paid Villareal £30m for the services of Bailly, who was tipped to become a formidable force under the guidance of Mourinho.

Recounting the 2016 transfer, Bailly spoke to The Athletic in an awkward first phone call with Mourinho.

According to the 29-year-old, he received a phone call from an unfamiliar Portuguese number, and the person at the end of the other line claimed to be Jose Mourinho.

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“But I didn’t know anyone in Portugal and I didn’t speak Portuguese. I started to think. There was an old team-mate. I answered the phone,” Bailly explained.

After asking who was calling, Bailly was met with a response he would not have imagined in his wildest dreams.

“’It’s Mourinho’, said the voice at the other end. ‘Do you want to play for me at Manchester United?’.

“I felt like I was hallucinating. I thought it was a guy just trying to annoy me, to make a joke. Who believes (Jose) Mourinho is calling them? I said he needed to prove it was him by calling on video. This is what he did. My mother was by my side. It was Mourinho and he said he wanted me to go to Manchester. I did.”

Bailly’s time at Man United and beyond

Despite the hype surrounding his Manchester United transfer, Bailly’s spell at Old Trafford was rigged with injury setbacks.

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He made 113 appearances as a Red Devil before eventually moving to Marseille in 2022, three years after Mourinho was sacked at Old Trafford, according to Transfermarkt.

After a short stint with the French club, Bailly joined Turkish side Besiktas in September 2023 as United allowed him to leave on a free transfer.

His spell with Besiktas was also short-lived, as he was one of five players to be excluded from the Super Lig outfit’s first-team squad in December 2023. His contract was effectively terminated by mutual consent.

Bailly has since re-joined his former club Villareal.

Mourinho blamed for Arsenal’s dip in form

Sports Brief also reported on how Jose Mourinho was blamed for Arsenal’s dip in form in the Premier League.

Mikel Arteta’s side has picked up just one point from their last three league games, a run threatening to end their title ambitions.

Following their 1-1 draw against Liverpool, Arsenal succumbed to shock back-to-back defeats against West Ham and Fulham, teams that both hail from London.